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PRAYERS 



FROM 



PLYMOUTH PULPIT, 



BY 

HENEY WARD BEECHER. 



PHONOGRAPH ICALLY REPORTED. 



NEW TORK:: ^ 
CHARLES SCRIBNER & COMPANY. 
654 BROADWAY. 










Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 186T, 

BY CHARLES SCRIBNER & CO., 

In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United States 

for the Southern District of New York. 




lE^TEODUOTOEY STATEMENT. 



The most experienced Christians, who attend the religious services of 
Plymouth Church, have been specially interested in the devotional exer- 
cises of that famous pulpit ; and have often felt these to be even more 
impressive than the sermons themselves, vrhich are so greatly sought 
after. These exercises are found so full of the most elevated thoughts, 
expressed in such affluent and appropriate words, as to be quite Unique in 
their effect, carrying the sympathizing heart as it were up to the very 
throne of mercy, and bringing the soul into conscious communion with 
our Father who is in heaven. The continual diversity of the themes dwelt 
upon, the copiousness and beauty of the language, the evident absence 
of formality and pre-arrangement, with the graphic distinctness and com- 
pleteness of the presentation, make these exercises worthy to be taken as 
modelsjof extemporaneous prayer. But their highest value is in their fitness 
to train the hearts of those who earnestly unite in them ; and to lead 
tliem into the richest experiences of the spirit of prayer, as that consists in 
the conscious intercourse of the human soul with its Maker, G-od. 

My venerable and esteemed friend, the Eeverend Doctor John Marsh, 
BO long and widely honored for his useful labors in the Temperance cause, 
in a frequent attendance at Plymouth Church, found these exercises so 
attractive and profitable, that he c!Ould not but long to renew their impres- 
sions. It seemed like a great loss that such glowing words and heavenly 
thoughts should be heard but once, and never be repeated or recalled. 

He thereupon conceived the idea of having some of them faithfully 
reported, so that he might preserve them, first, for his own personal use 
and satisfaction, and then with the thought that, at some day yet remote, 
they might perhaps be properly given to the public in print, for tlie gen- 
eral use of devout hearts. With this view, and without the counsel 
or advisement of any one, he several years ago employed, at his own 
expense, an experienced phonographer, to make a verbatim report of 



IV II^TEODUCTORY STATEMENT, 

a large number of these prayers, entirely without the knowledge of the 
pastor or the congregation. Having feasted his own soul upon them, 
as thus placed in his hands, he at length, early in the present year, was 
brought to think that so valuable a treasure ought not to be monopolized 
as the possession of one family alone. After taking the advice of some 
trusted friends, who thought that any sentimental or conventional objec- 
tion to their publication ought not to weigh against their great value and 
probable usefulness, he frankly laid the subject before Mr. Beecher. 

After hearing the story of their preservation, which was wholly new to 
him, and duly weighing the considerations that were presented, Mr. 
Beecher said that, without assuming any responsibility whatever in the 
matter, he did not feel at liberty to object to the pubhcation of them, if 
competent judges thought they were calculated to do good in that way. 
All obstacles being thus happily removed, they are now presented, in 
their simplicity and richness, faithfully copied as they were uttered. A 
work so without precedent, must be its own recommendation ; and is sent 
forth accompanied only with the earnest prayer that it may prove a rich 
blessing to those who love our Lord Jesus Christ, in this age, and in the 
grand and gracious ages which we beheve are yet to come. 

J. L. 

Brooklyn, September 20, iset. 



In addition to the above from the pen of the Rev. Dr. Joshua Leavitt, 
for which he has my sincere thanks, I ought to state, and I do it 
with great pleasure, that, in addition to the prayers thus providentially in 
my hands, there have been offered me the use of some occasional and 
social or lecture-room prayers from the portfolio of the admirable reporter 
of Mr. Beecher's sermons, which I have gladly accepted, as rendering the 
volume more complete and bringing it down near to the present time. 
The whole is now commended to the blessing of God, in the belief that it 
will be a valuable gift to all who delight in communings with God, and 
be of much service to such as are called to be a mouth for others at the 
throne of grace. 

J.M. 

Brooklyn, September 26, ISQI. 



SUBJECTS. 



PULPIT, 

The Fatherhood of God 1 

Remembrance of Divine mercies 9 

Preciousness of the Sanctuary 15 

Opening of the Spring 23 

Need of God 31 

God's greatness Man's security 39 

Joy in the government of God 47 

Divine wisdom above all human 51 

Confession and Penitence 55 

Entire consecration 59 

Communings with Jesus 65 

Church additions 71 

Sacramental season 77 

Union with Christ 83 

Baptismal service 87 

Growth in grace , 93 

For a higher Ufa 99 

Christ onr necessity and joy 103 

Petitioning for light • . Ill 

The Journey of life 117 

The Battle of life 123 

Sanctified knowledge of God 127 



^'^ suBjEcrrs, 

Passing from death to Ife 135 

Jesus seeing of the Trarail of bis soul 141 

Sacramental season 147 

Strength in God 153 

Dependence 157 

God's goodness to the ill-desarying ...., 163 

God the only object of trust 167 

Preciousness of the Sabbath 175 

Security m Christ 181 

Successive generations of believers 185 

Riches of God^'s mercy 190 

Paternal character of God ► 201 

Triumph over sin and death 205 

We know not what we shall be 211 

God our Refuge ; Heaven near » 221 



OCCASIOITAL. 



Kew Year's day , , , . . 227 

Return from the summer ......... 235 

Thanksgiving 239 

National responsibility 245 

Filial memorial 251 

Return from England , 257 

Fast day in war 265 

Mourning because of war 273 

Easter Sunday 281 

Missionary occasion 287 

Death of Lincoln 291 

Restoration of peace "297 



SUBJECTS, Vll 

Baptismal service 30:^ 

Baptism of White Slave. 309 

Youthful Accessions 313 



SOCIAL OH LECTURE-ROOM PRAYERS. 

I 317 

II 319 

III 321 

IV 323 

Y 324 

YI 325 

YII 327 

YIII 3^8 

IX 330 

X 331 



These prayers are all independent, and not placed in the order in which 
they were delivered; but some regard has heen had to order in the 
subjects. 

Closing prayers after sermon, are placed on vacant pages ; showing 
the emotions of the speaker, after deli verdiig his discourse; though the 
subject of discourse cannot fee given. 



VIM 



DEDIOATIOj^. 



To the Congregcdion of Believers worshiping at Plymouth Churchy 
Brooklyn^ K Y. 
To you these outpourings of the mind and heart of your much loved 
Pastor, in days gone by, now rising as from ambush to aid in reviving the 
spirit of true devotion and self-consecration, must come with a tender- 
ness and force as to none beside. To you, therefore, this volume is 
appropriately dedicated, in the hope and behef that it will prove a rich 
comfort and blessing to you and your families, both now and when the 
voice of your Pastor may be hushed in death, and when you are crossing 
the flood to part no more. 



PULPIT DEYOTIONS. 



THE FATHERHOOD OF GOD. 



Sabbath Morning, 

INTOCATION. 

Our Father, another day of rest is granted unto us. "We accept it ours 
— the token of thy love and remembrance. We bring honor to thee and 
desire to make mention of thy name, and to call thee Father. Thou art 
our Father, and thou hast made that name more venerable and more 
full of love than all our earthly associations of parents have been able to 
do; for thou art greater and better and more true to all the duties of 
love than earthly parents can be. And now enrich us this day by giving 
us the power more perfectly to approach thee, and to understand thee, 
and to enter into sympathy with thee. This is our strength, the joy of 
the Lord. And we beseech thee that thou wilt drive intrusive cares 
and thoughts away. May the world no longer have dominion over us ; 
may we find ourselves easily controlling it, and may it be sweet to draw 
near to thee with praise. May we make mention of our sins without 
fear, since idou. hast washed them away. May we be able to view thee 
with uplooking face ; may we gain strength to-day by the power of thy 
love ; may every thing conduce to thine honor and thy glory in our wor- 
ship. We ask it for Christ's sake. Amen. 

BEFORE SERMON. 

O THoij that dwellest in heaven : round about thee 
are those that are risen indeed — -the spirits of the just 
made perfect, and other ranks, dominions, and powers 
that are nameless. Thou art in blessed society. "We 



2 EEECHEE, S TULPIT DEVOTIONS. 

know not what tliou art in perspection, and can have 
but faint thonglits of what is divine glory. Yet wo 
believe that, central among all other things, is thj 
paternal nature ; and that, when we are inspired to say 
from the heart '' Our Father/' we have touched the 
very height of that to which we shall come through 
ages. We know not what we say — we know not all the 
meaning of that precious word ; we know not what 
Fatheehood means when enveloped in all the majesty 
of the infinite, and stretched abroad in all its fullness, 
richness, and tenderness ; — when over it is all the gran- 
deur of the eternal spheres. 

When we think of that power by which thou didst 
cause the material creation, which in its appointed 
course is the smallest part, and that not there is thy 
pride and thy glory, but that thy nature, in its reality 
and grandeur, is in thine heart — O when we under- 
stand that thou art greater than any outward world can 
make thee seem to us, and that thou art greater in thy 
moral nature than in any conception which we can form 
of the greatness of thy physical power, our minds aro 
overwhelmed ; and yet we are encouraged to come to 
thee. Thou dost not sit to thunder us away. Thou 
dost not sit to be terrible, though thou art august. 
Thou dost not sit to burn as an unquenchable fire, though 
thou art a consuming fire to thine enemies. 

We rejoice that thou drawest us toward thee with 
sweet permission, with persuasion, w^ith blessed com 
mand ; that thou art endeavoring to persuade us bj 
all the processions of nature, by all the daily occur- 
rences of providence, by all the teachings of thy word, 
by all the ministrations of th}^ grace, and by all the influ- 
ences of the Holy Ghost, shed abroad upon our souls. 



THE FATPIEHHOOD OF GOD. 3 

What we are that thou shoiildst so desire us, what 
there is in us that thou couldst look at to love, we do 
not understand ; "but thou seest us not only in what we 
are, but in what we are to be. Thou beholdest us as we 
shall be when our education is complete, when thou shalt 
present us before the eternal throne, without spot or 
blemish. We rejoice that thou dost love us ; — that thy 
love is omnipotent ; and that, by thy grace, we shall 
persevere unto the end, and finally be saved. 

We thank thee that we are brought together into 
church relationships, and have had so much joy in 
public w^orship and in all social service of religion. We 
thank thee that thou hast purged from our minds so 
much of wickedness ; that thou hast removed so many 
doubts; that thou hast brought many of us to expe- 
rience so much of thy love; and that thou art bring- 
ing others to the same conviction of the sufficiency of 
Christ for all their sin, so that they are able to sit down 
under his banner of love with the sweetest composure 
and rest. 

O, how blessed shall be that entrance when we that have 
known each other in the flesh with manifold imperfec- 
tions ; when we that have consorted together in this vale 
of tears, bearing each other's burdens, shall stand up in 
everlasting perfection, where we shall bear with each 
other no longer, but be as the angels of God and equal in 
light for evermore ! Grant that the forethought of this 
coming glory may sanctify our earthly association. 

O carry forward every one of thy people. Teach 
them how to live less by fear and hj conscience, and 
more by the nobler impulses of love and trust ; how to 
behold thee, not as a taskmaster, rigorous .and exacting, 
but a God full of tenderness and of love. May the way of 



4 BEECHER'S PULPIT DEYOTIOIS^S. 

prayer be easy ; may access to tliy throne be short ; may 
we be humbled by our weakness and unworthiness, and 
while we take every thing, may we claim nothing. May 
we feel that there is no end to thy bounty ; not because 
we deserve these things, but because of the nature of 
thy loving heart. The bounty of thy heart is so great 
that thou dost cause every day to pour itself abroad in 
endless beneficence ; not because of our deserts, but be- 
cause it is thine own pleasure. 

Brood upon our souls, that we may catch something of 
thy nature, and know thee more and more perfectly. 
"We beseech of thee that we may not feel that thou art 
harsh in thine administration toward us when thou 
sendest burdens. May we believe that they are sent for 
wise purposes. When thou sendest afflictions and be- 
reavements, may v/e understand the way of God toward 
us. May we never be so puffed up by pride that we 
shall think ourselves too good to be afflicted ; may we 
never become so much at ease in our prosperity that we 
shall think it some strange thing when God casts up his 
highways through our fields. May we never feel that 
we are so secure in this mortal state as that there is no 
danger of losing our cherished possessions and treasures. 
We beseech thee, O God, that we may feel that all our 
times and seasons are in thine hand ; that every thing 
which we possess comes from thee, and is to be resumed 
at thy good pleasure ; and may we be able to say in all 
our experiences, " Thy will be done." May we have a 
submission to thy will that runs before the coming 
trouble, so that we may never be broken down, but 
always live in the light of thy countenance, our own 
lifted up to receive its brightness. And we beseech of 
thee that thou wilt be very near to all that are passing 



THE FATHERHOOD OF GOD. 5 

through trouble and affliction, that they may not sin nor 
grieve thee by distrust ; and grant that they may submit 
themselves and all their affairs willingly to thy hand. 
Guide them out of all their troubles, and exercise them 
thereby, working in them the peaceful fruits of righteous- 
ness which thou hast declared thou wilt work by trouble 
and sorrow. 

Grant, we beseech thee, that we may not grow selfish. 
May we be delivered from the luxmy of religion ; may 
we not seek such experiences and joyful emotions because 
it may be pleasant. May we feel that we are called to 
all the experiences that Christ had ; that, like our Captain, 
we are to be made perfect through suffering. May we 
take cloud or sunshine, storm or calm, sorrow or glad- 
ness; be able to bear affliction or prosperity, to be 
lifted up or to be cast down, to feel that we are as 
ships that cross the tempestuous deep, forever swaying 
and rocking, forever elevated and lowered by the con- 
flicting waves, but safe through all storms ; that the trou- 
bles through which we pass are waves, that life is a voy- 
age, and that we are ships making haste to cross the 
deep. May none of us founder before we reach the har- 
bor, but may every one of us have that pilot in the ship, 
that guidance, that living Christ, that we shall be sure, 
through calm and conflict, of reaching the land which he 
appoints ; and may it be Immanuel's land — that place of 
rest, where no storms are, and where no tears wet the 
eye. 

We thank thee that so many have reached it. O, how 
many of our friends that have cried upon earth have for- 
gotten long since to weep or cry ! How many that on 
eartli faltered in praise, go forth in the grandeur of hea- 
venly joy 1 How many that lisped by our sides are speak- 



6 beecher's pulpit ds70tio:n^s. 

ing in the full vocalization of heavenly music! How 
many that v^ent from ns, before they spoke at all, might 
well be onr teachers now ! We thank thee that heaven 
is so rich for them. We thank thee, O Jesus, that thoii 
art so loved, that thou art embraced by all the myriads 
of those that have been redeemed by thee in every age. 
Thou art borne up upon the praises of thy blessed sancti- 
fied church in heaven. We have those there that are 
united to us by memory, by love, and by all the ties of 
earthly relationships. They praise thee ; they rejoice in 
thee; they comfort us when we think of them. We 
would not call them back ; we only desire to hold them 
in such remembrance that we nmj follow hard after 
them, and, in the way where they found victory, find our 
victory too. We call back none to our arms that are 
gone forth; we call back none to light our dwellings, 
whose going forth w^as as the setting sun ; we call back 
no treasures taken to please God, but we only remember 
that they have gone, and that we shall surely go after 
them. 

Bless these ministrations of thy providence to our 
good, and may the things that seem to break us 
down, lift us up. And as thou dost give life to the har- 
vest by corrupting the seed, and crushing it under the 
plow, that it may lose traces of life, to give forth a 
more abundant increase, so we beseech thee that when 
we are cast down and crushed by thy plow, and seem 
to be utterly destroyed, may we understand God's w^ay 
of planting ; that out of these afflictions, which for the 
present are not joyous, but grievous, there shall come 
forth and there shall grow up peaceable fruits of righte- 
ousness. May we, then, every day, every hour, every 
moment, and in every thing, look to thee to think for us, 



THE FATHERHOOD OF GOD. 7 

will for US, and then let us coincide in thinking and in 
willing with thee, that we may be God-led, and preserved 
and sayed. 

* Bless, we beseech thee, all those for whom we should 
pray. Eemember all classes and conditions of men. 
May the gospel of Christ, that hath dwelt in this world 
so long without subduing it, receive new power, and may 
it go forth with more disclosures of divinity than ever ; 
and before the brightness of thy coming may all forms 
of selfishness flee away, may all pride be beaten down, 
may all inhumanities sink to perdition, may the glory of 
God's love fill and overflow the earth, and may peace, 
founded upon justice, prev^ail among the nations of the 
globe, and war be heard no more forever, and all the 
earth see the salvation of our God ; and to thy name 
shall be the praise. Father, Son, and Spirit. Amen. 



A CLosura prater. 

Our heavenly Father, we beseech of thee that we may be made to drink 
into the spirit of God, and be laborers together with thee in all truth, in 
all fidelity, in all love, in all humanity. May we not, alone in our theory 
and in our principles, believe in this greatness of man as niade by God 
and as destined by him to immortality, but grant that we may have this 
knowledge interpreted to us in our disposition. May we know how to 
correct the elevation of pride and its heartlessness ; may we have the 
desire to do good to all men as we have an opportunity. Grant that we 
may be tender-hearted, and that we may have affection that stands ready 
to flow down. May we know how to pay some tribute of esteem to all 
men, and may there be a desire in our hearts to-day that they may bo 
made better and happier by our testimonies toward them. Lord, how 
great is the sea, how new is the voyage, how difficult is the navigation I 
O give us thine own Spirit, or we shall never exemplify Christ in the 
details of our hfe. Lord God, cleanse us from this infidelity of our 
every day life, and bring us into the spirit of Jesus, that love may reign 
triumphant in us, and that we may glorify our Father in heaven. And 
when we have done with life, — though it hath been an imperfect one 
sinning throughout by manifold sins — Lord Jesus, let there be found in 
us the mercy of God cleansing from every sin, and give us through the 
infinite grace and mercy of our Saviour, an entrance into thine heavenly 
kingdom : and let it be a heaven where pride shall come to us no more, 
and selfishness no more, and corruption no more ; and then, if we may lift 
ourselves up in raiment unstained and indeed purified by thy blood, we 
will give to thee the praise of our salvation for ever and ever. Amen. 



KEMEMBRANCE OF DIVINE MERCIES. 



Sabbath Morning. 

INVOCATION". 

"We thank thee, our Father in heaven, that we bavo already begun the 
song of thanksgiving, and we ask that we may have that blessing which 
is comprehended in thine own presence ; for what the sun is to all the 
earth in summer, that art thou to us. Whatever wo need, whatever wo 
would have taken away, whatever things must come or must go, all is as 
it should be in us when thou art present, quickening, comforting, teach- 
ing, guiding. May we have, therefore, in the beginning of our worship 
to-day, the feeling that we are in the presence of our Father and great 
benefactor. May we all feel that we have come home to-day. May thy 
word be not the words printed in a book, but the voice of G-od speaking 
to us. May all the exercises of worship before thee, while they are reve- 
rential, have that high and blessed familiarity which love gives. May we 
sing with great gladness, and sing together ; may we speak from a true 
heart, informed by the Spirit of God ; may we be able together to lift up 
our prayers, and so wilt thou move upon us to ask the things which wo 
ought, that, while we are speaking, blessings may fall ; and may all the 
service of the day, beiug divinely inspired and guided, be divinely blessed. 
AYe ask it for Christ Jesus' sake. Amen. 

BEFORE SERMON. 

O God, we come to speak of thine abundant mercies 
to us. "We wonder wliile we adore ! What are we and 
our father's house, that thou shouldst have shown such 
mercies to us ? "Why was our lot cast in the midst of 
so much privilege ? Why were we so nurtured ? Why 
were angel guards sent to us in the cradle and in all the 



10 BEECHES'S PULPIT DEYOTIOXS. 

Tray of yonth upward? O Lord, we rejoice that it is 
SO5 and yet we cannot see behind the veil which hides the 
secret purpose of God in the administration of human 
affairs. We rejoice that we were born so near to the 
sanctuary, and, before we knew what it meant, heard its 
call Sabbath by Sabbath. We thank thee that our earli- 
est knowledge came through tliy word, full of marvel 
and wonder. We thank thee that our earliest thoughts 
and feelings were those feelings of love to our superiors 
and parents which taught us how to love upward toward 
our God. We thank thee that we were surrounded, yea, 
woven into the golden fabric of domestic love, and that 
we were surrounded by so many faithful companions 
and trusted friends. We thank thee for the privileges of 
our childhood, and for all the opportunities of instruc- 
tion. We thank thee even for the things which we had 
of trouble ; it was good to bear the yoke in om^ youth. 

We thank thee that thou didst show us the way to man- 
hood, and open the door thereat, and didst permit so 
many of us to walk in thither, and to walk in the way 
built of God, toward honor, glory, and immortality. 
How many of us recognize ourselves as thine own, 
called by thy Spirit, and called effectually ! How many 
are there that bear witness, because thou bearest vfitness 
in them! How many that remember days of great glad- 
ness, of joys from Christ revealed in them the hope of 
glory! How many, this morning, as they think upon 
the mercies of God, are overwhelmed with the reflection 
of liis abundant kindnesses ! Hov/ many have been 
drawn out of evil ! How many have been healed and 
brought up from sicknesses ! How many have had those 
dear to them as their own life spared by thy kindness ! 

How many have been rescued from their fears ! How 



BEMEMBRANCE OF DIYII^E MERCIES. 11 

many have escaped from temptation, as a bird from the 
snare of the fowler ! How many have seen the things 
that were cracked and ready to fall, heal again ! How 
many households, that seemed to be threatened with 
destruction, hast thou surrounded by the clasping of thine 
own arms and held firmly together! Behold, how many 
there are that stand reading the book of their remem- 
brance, and wondering, as they read, that every line has 
something of God's goodness ! How art thou celebrated 
in our thoughts ! How is the truth and wisdom of thy 
providence made plain, as we go back over all the way 
in which thou hast led us in life ! Sometimes, when we 
fall from grace and thee, and stand looking at our life 
in the light of our lower feelings, how burdensome and 
sordid, how unsatisfactory and unfruitful are all things ; 
it is the weary gate that opened to let us into life, and 
we look wistfully when the clay shall come that we 
shall go out of it. It seems but vanity, vexation, tur- 
moil, and uncertainty, and brooding doubts spread over 
all the sphere ; but when we are caught by thee, and the 
spirit lifted up, so that vre look upon the world in the 
light of thy countenance, and from our higher and 
nobler nature, how strange and wonderful is the bright- 
ness thereof! How our souls thank thee for that birth 
into immortality which thou hast been pleased to give 
us ! Our very tears then seem prayers ; our very sorrows 
and sighs are subjects of thanksgiving; not one stroke 
has there been too much, not one burden too heavy, not 
one trial or experience too many. Thy faithfulness 
seems to us to walk before and to preside over all the 
processes and steps of our lives, and we are conscious 
til at we are surrounded by thee, and that, in the silence 
with which thou art pleased to work, v;e still were 



12 

thought of, and that the silent thoughts of God shot 
hither and thither all round about; more than stars, 
more than suns, were they to us, though we scarcely 
knew their light. 

And now, O Lord God, most high and holy, we desire 
evermore to live as seeing thee who art invisible; we 
desire to see every part of our life as thou beholdest, 
instinct with meaning, and full of fore-pointings toward 
immortality ; we desire to understand that we are not as 
brutes are, and that our life is not in our outward things ; 
we desire to feel that our truest life is hid with Christ 
in God, that we are the first-born of the resurrection, 
marching all of us homeward and heavenward to honors 
and dignities, such as are not foreshadowed in any thing 
in this world. We pray that we may be patient ; that 
we may be humble before thee, but courageous before 
men and temptation ; we pray that we may not repine 
or murmur under any circumstances. May the bitter- 
ness of the cup be welcome to our lips; may all the 
things of life that seem to strain, and gird, and bind, 
seem but the forming hand of God ; and as the marble 
knows not why the chisel acts, though the sculptor 
knows, so, though we do not know what thou art doing, 
may we understand that all pressures and pains and 
troubles are but the hands of God forming us to his own 
likeness and image ; and may we be glad even at the 
ministry of trouble ; may we lift up a joyful heart even 
when we suffer ; and may we learn, at last, to come with 
that blessedness of resignation, whereby we can say, " We 
rejoice in infirmities, and count it all joy when we fall 
into divers temptations.'' 

Be pleased to bless all whom we love ; we pray that, 
wherever they may be, they may yet be always with thee ; 



REMEMBEAXCE OF DIVINE MERCIES. 13 

and if thy grace and providence are extended above tliem, 
why should we follow them with thoughts of fear and 
anxiety? O Lord, since we can commit ourselves to 
thee, why can we not commit all other things which we 
love ? We do ; we offer ourselves ; we yield up our chil- 
dren ; we give our dearest friends and companions, yea, 
our every hope and anticipation of the future ; we leave 
them in thy hand. It is a glorious refuge that we have ; 
we plant and place in thee all things, saying, " thy will he 
done.'' 

Bless, we beseech thee, our brethren of every name. 
Unite the household of faith more and more, by the 
adhesion of love, and less and less may they seek to 
be united by the external forms of belief and govern- 
ment. We beseech thee that thou wilt make thy people 
love manliness in Christ Jesus, and may this become the 
highest ideal of Christian life. Thou hast borne thy 
churches through the conflicts of time ; thou hast sur- 
rounded them with bulwarks ; thou hast given them the 
sword, the spear, and the shield ; and now may they begin 
to understand that the fig-tree, the vine, the vineyard, 
and all the pleasant things of the garden, are more desir- 
able than sword, or spear, or shield. And we beseech of 
thee that the things which make for peace, in equity and 
purity, may more and more rise in value. May thy 
people vex each other less and less, distrust less and less, 
separate themselves less and less. Pour out thy Spirit 
upon all those things that are bringing thy servants of 
every name together, and grant that this bond of a com- 
mon love may grow stronger and stronger around the 
earth. We pray that thou wilt hasten the day when all 
evil shall pass away ; when slavery shall cease ; when 
iniquitous laws shall cease; when intemperance, igno- 



14 beeoher's pulpit DEY0TI0]^S. 

ranee, and every form of passion shall cease ; when the 
glory of God shall shine, and the Son shall travel in the 
greatness of his strength ; may this blessed day rise not 
upon lis alone, but upon all the nations of the earth. 
Lord, look again and see those whom thou hast made ; 
behold the waste and the darkness of the earth ; behold 
the trouble, the ruin, and the dismay of nations. Have 
mercy upon the earth, O thou that dost hide thyself 
behind thine own mysterious counsels ; shine forth and 
bring salvation to all the earth ; and to thy name shall 
be the praise, Father, Son, and Spirit. Amen. 



PRECIOIJSE^ESS OF THE SANCTUARY. 



Sdblaili Horning. 

INYOCATIOJ?". . 

We thank lliee, our Father, that we are gathered from so many places 
by thy kind providence to this, thy house of prayer. Thou hast in other 
times been here to receive us. Stand in thine own house again to-day, 
and bid every heart welcome with the assurance of thy love, of thy favor| 
and of thy presence; and by the power which thou dost show forth upon 
us, may we discern the truth hidden in thy word. May we take hold 
upon thee in communion; may we be able to unite together in fellowship 
of song, and praise thee with one heart and voice. Grant that aU the 
exercises of the Sabbath, whether in the sanctuary or in our several 
homes, may conduce to our spiritual comfort and edification: and thus 
may thy name be honored. We ask it for Christ's sake. Amen. 

BEFORE SERM0:N". 

OiiB heavenly Father, we do not draw near to thee in 
this place as if only here thou wert to be found. Thou 
hast made the whole earth to be full of thee. The 
heavens declare thy glory and the firmament showeth thy 
handiwork. Day nnto day nttereth speech of thee, 
through all the years of our lives. Is^either is there any 
place so solitary, nor any so barren, nor any so dark and 
sad and seemingly neglected, that thou art not to be 
discerned there. Thou hast written of thee in every part 
of this domain, and they that are instructed in thee know 
how to find thee everywhere. 

"Rut yet, in some places we find thee more easily 



16 beecher's pulpit devotions. 

than in others. Thou hast made this place peculiarly 
dear to us, because here we have often lingered, wait- 
ing for the dawn, until the day-spring came from on 
high. Here we have come, unable to see by the multi- 
tude of our tears, and gone away seeing all the better 
through them, as if thou hadst made them lenses. Here 
v/e have been pressed down, burdened, and gone leaving 
our burden, we knew not where. We have come in 
heavily, and gone out light-hearted indeed. When we 
turn back our thoughts to the many years that we have 
been wont to come here ; when we bring to our remem- 
brance those that aforetime have been with us, and are 
no more upon this side, how sacred is the place ; though 
no sprinkling of water and no reaching out of hands, and 
no pronunciation of blessing have been here vainly to 
seek to consecrate these elements, yet ten thousand hearts 
have consecrated this place. The sprinkling hath been 
of tears, and the reaching out and imposition of hands 
hath been indeed in spiritual things. 

Here have we not beheld our children bowing to thee ? 
Have they not stood before us and with us, grouped by 
faith into the same household ? Here have we not had 
triumph given to us through our sorrow and anguish in 
their early release, and our loss of them ? Here thou hast 
made it sweet for us to pray, to sing. Here thou hast 
made us seem more lovely to each other^ than ever we 
are in our outward and earthly relations. Here thou 
liast made the light of heaven to shine golden on the 
wings of life that aforetime hath been gloomy. Thou 
hast here taught us courage, and hope, and faith, and 
love. Thou hast so stricken us through with these 
divine elements, that we have been able to carry them 
with us every week, as we went along our troubled way. 



FRECIOTJSNESS OP THE SANCTUARY. 17 

And now when the Sabbath dawns, it comes speaking 
thoughts of pleasure and rest to us ; and when the gates 
of God's house are thrown open, how do we rejoice to 
come up together ! How sweet and pleasant a house thou 
hast made it to us. Though we are in the flesh, and 
though we are restricted in every thing that is good by 
pride and selfishness, and by the low-mindedness of our 
habitual thoughts, yet with all these hindrances how hast 
thou made us to discern things here in the light and glory 
of heaven. "We thank thee for the memories of the sanc- 
tuary, for the experience of the sanctuary, and for all the 
blessedness which yet is in it or waiting for our recep- 
tion. 

And now we beseech thee, O thou that hast power to 
touch our imagination, our affection, and our understand- 
ing, to-day, interpret to us the exceeding greatness of the 
truths of God. Those least truths around about us, that 
thou hast interpreted through forms of matter, are more 
than we can search, and deeper than we can understand ; 
yet these are the under-foot truths, and the least, while 
above us and related to our spiritual being, what is the 
grandeur of those immortal truths of love and purity and 
rectitude which thou art attempting to teach us ! Be 
patient yet, O thou long-suffering Saviour, as thou hast 
been patient in days past with us, for it is through thy 
patience that we have hope. 

It is not because we are good nor easily made good ; it 
is not because we are docile or easily instructible that we 
have any hope — for we And ourselves coarse, and dull, 
and worldly; ungenerous, selfish, and proud; at times 
envious and jealous and filled with all hatefulness of that 
v/hich, when it comes to us revealed in the light of higher 
truths, makes us shrink fi'om ourselves with unutterable 



18 beechek's pulpit deyotioxs. 

loathing and to wonder that thou couldst look with com- 
placency for a moment upon us. 

And yetj such is thy love, and such is the patience with 
which it hath inspired thee, that thou hast not yet been 
wearj?- of thy charge. Thou hast borne us up more ten- 
derly than ever did our parents in our infancy, and thy 
thoughts toward us, how precious and how exceeding great 
the number of them ! The wonder of thy grace, of thy 
tenderness, and of thy kindness, have begun to awaken in 
us an earnest desire to please thee. But only when we 
endeavor to please thee, do we find how void we are by 
nature of goodness — only then when we attempt to reach 
forth our hand to write or to appear growing and vigor- 
ous, do we iind how rude and untaught our hands are. 
We stand before thee undressed; we stand empty; yet 
with all thy teaching, there is nothing that we should 
presume to hold up before thee and say, ^^Be gracious 
unto us by reason of our excellence." Our whole hope 
and faith is in the greatness, in the grandeur, in the inex- 
haustibleness of thy love. In thyself we must needs find 
our redemption, our sanctification. 

We beseech thee, O Lord, that thou wilt cause this 
glory of thy nature more and more to rise up before us 
that we might be shown for evermore, beneficiaries— how 
we live upon the charity of our God ; that we may feel 
that we receive every thing from thee as a grace, as a gift 
undeserved ; and that, conicious of living upon thee, we 
may learn to lean toward our fellow-men, and in our small 
measure endeavor to reflect upon them from ourselves the 
same charity; that we may bear with them patiently; 
that we may be more gentle to all ; that we may have love 
in our heart that shall be able to overflow and hide as the 
tide hides the rocks and all noisome things beneath its 



PRECIOUSNESS OF THE SANCTUARY. 19 

abundant depths ; so may we have that charity that shall 
cover a multitude of sins and hide them., though it may 
not destroy them. . And we beseech of thee, having the 
same experience of thy nature in love, that we may 
have the evidence that we are thy children and are 
born again, in the presence, activity, and increasing power 
of love in us. And we pray tliat thou wilt teach us more 
and more the knowledge of ourselves, more and more the 
skill to extend this divine glory ; more and more may we 
carry in our personal disposition, in our household, and 
through every part of our worldly business this nobler 
spirit of the divine nature; so may we live as perpetually 
to preach ; so may we live that men shall be curious to 
know from what source we draw the inspiration of our 
life, and thus seeing our good works be led to glorify our 
Father which is in heaven. 

"Wilt thou grant to every one in thy presence the 
blessings which they need. Have none come in hither 
unconscious of their duty, unconscious of their need? 
Have none come drawn merely by curiosity? If there 
be any such, O Lord, we pray that thou wilt be better 
to them than they meant to be to themselves, and meet 
them with such divine influence, such an opening of 
their eyes, such a quickening of their afiections, that 
they shall feel that indeed God hath led them hither 
for a purpose which they suspected not, and led them in 
a way they knew not of. Are there those that have 
been conscious of unsupplied want ? Are there any that 
have been as birds flying prematurely into a land in 
which no seed nor flower hath yet come up, waiting 
for the summer to come, and know not what they sut- 
fer from hunger? Are there not some that thou hast 
brought, who sit hungering on the tree and longing for 



20 beecher's pulpit devotions. 

food, and know not where to turn? O, tliou art the God 
for such. In their helplessness, in their ignorance, in their 
want of knowledge of themselves, they shall find in thee 
supremest joy, for thou dost love to do great things for such, 
because thou art great in all the inflections of generosity 
and goodness. If there be such here to-day, may they hear 
the voice of God in these very musings and wants of their 
nature, and may they be drawn to thee for their supply. 
And if there are any in thy presence that stand doubtful, 
whose sun is risen but whose heavens are clouded, O grant 
that the light may no longer shine twilight through 
the cloud, but break away and give a clear, effulgent 
experience. 

And we beseech thee that thou wilt accept, this morn- 
ing, the heart- felt thanks of those'who have seen the sun 
of righteousness, with healing in his oeams, who dwell in 
the summer of his love and are satisfied, whose days go 
past in music, and all of whose sounds are harmonies of 
God. May they not fall from this blessed state, nor 
deem it a trance, but may they abide in it and find the 
fullness of thy love, and its sweet fruition, which they 
may have, who have put their whole trust in Christ 
Jesus. 

Bless all that are young ; help those that are appointed 
as parents, or guardians, or teachers, to so rear them that 
they may walk from the freshness and purity of youth, 
untempted, up to the experience of Christian purity and 
love, without swerving, without contamination. Succor 
those, we beseech tliee, that are discouraged in the rear- 
ing of thy children, and may they have hope and trust 
in God, and not be discouraged in themselves. 

And now we ask of thee that we may all have more and 
more of the knowledge of God ; m.ay we grow in grace and 



PEECIOUSNESS OF THE SANCTUARY. 21 

in the knowledge of onr Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, 
until we are changed from glory to glory, and are permitted 
to take our place by thy side in heaven, where we will 
praise thee forever and ever. Amen. 



CLOSING PRATER. 

Our heavenly Father, wilt thou bless the word of admonition given. 
May thy truth come to us with authority, dehvering us from those dim 
and misty visions which we have when the fogs of this hfe rise around 
about us ; when our own passions distemper our sight. Give us that 
cahu certainty of truth, that nearness of thee, that conviction of the 
reality of the life to come, which we shall need to bear us through the 
troubles of this. Oh, if we could hve as seeing thee that art invisible, if 
we could Hve as beholding heaven, it would not be hard to live aright! 
But our faith is faint; the world is real to us; and we are on every side 
sympathetic with earthly things. Those things seem to us visionary and 
remote that are most important to us. Therefore we ask that gift of the 
Holy Spirit by which the truth is brought into the heart, and made to 
abide there in ever-increasing power. Baptize us with the Holy Ghost ; 
dwell in us; go with us; and at last, through all entanglements, through 
every temptation, through perils and dangers, through death itself, bring 
us to our exceeding great reward in heaven. These mercies we ask for 
Christ's sake. Amen. 



OPENING OF THE SPRING. 



SdbhatJi Morning, 

INVOCATION. 

Out of thine infinite fullness, Lord our God, be pleased to give forth 
strength and wisdom and inspiration. Breathe upon us, that everj-thing 
which is good may be lifted up, and that every thing which is evil may be laid 
low, and that we may please thee. Drawn hither, we trust, by thy secret 
and divine drawing, we have come expectant. Eelease us now from care ; 
cause the peace to rest on us which thou wert accustomed to breathe on the 
discipled band on the first day, and may we rejoice together in emancipation ; 
and may the hours to-day surround us better than the walls did Jerusalem, 
or the mountains the walls. May the Lord our God to-day be our joy, 
and may his joy be our strength. Bless thy word, and as thou didst out 
of the rock bring forth Christ, our Lord and Saviour, so may the buried 
Christ be brought forth from the letter to-day, and stand living and 
blessed before our gaze. Bless us as we may speak the word of truth 
in exhortation of life and duty ; may we be divinely guided in all wisdom, 
and let it not be a vain thing that we listen, but rather for our souls' 
everlasting profit. Accept our thanks that we are permitted in voice 
to take hold of each other's hearts in singing together ; may we unite 
gladly in the sweet fellowship of love one with another ; may we unite, 
by the consciousness of faith, with those that never cease to praise, with 
every joy of their hearts in divine and everlasting overflow, the grace of 
God which brought them safe to heaven. Be thou pleased with cur 
imperfect song and worship. Help us to commune with thee face to face 
in prayer unabashed, coming boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain 
mercy and help in time of need. Lord, may the whole day, when it shall 
have passed, seem to have been but an alabaster box of precious ointment 
broken on our heads, whose perfume shall linger long through the week 
with us from day to day, untU we are taken home to our rest in heaven, 
where we will praise thee for evermore. Amen. 



24 beecher's pulpit devotions. 

BEFORE SERM02T. 

We rejoice, our Father, that thou hast made known to 
US, in thy word, that wisdom by which we can interpret 
all thy revelation and natm^e. We have walked aforetime 
in the midst of the things which thou hast made, as men 
walk in desolate cities who cannot read their inscriptions. 
ITow, since thou hast revealed thyself to us in Jesus 
Christ, we behold thine eternal power and Godhead in 
nature also. We can perceive thy unity, thy wisdom, 
thy grace of kindness, and all the sense of things fit and 
beautiful in thee, in harmony and fellowship. The sun 
is no longer without a voice to us. "Day unto day utter- 
eth speech, and night unto night showeth knowledge." 
On every side, we behold the work of thy hand and thy 
thought expressed in visible things, and are surrounded 
by God. 

To-day we behold thee. Thou art causing with silent 
steps the advance of spring, and we behold already in the 
winter the preparations for its departure. Already we 
realize what is coming, and rejoice in the advance of 
warmth and of re-entering life, and in all the ofispring of 
things that shall reach out their arms to bless thee. 
ITow, O Lord, be pleased to encourage us by these symp- 
toms, that we may think that so thy word advances to 
our souls with light from afar, and with warmth stream- 
ing daily warmer with all the vivific influences, which, 
falling divinely upon our thoughts, fill us and cause them 
to spring up, the root to grow, and the stem, and every 
part thereof. For though there is power in us, it is power 
divinely developed, and the higher we aspire, the more 
we need this divine help. In the things which are lowest 
to us, in the things in which we attach and adhere to 
matter and the world, thou hast given us great power in 



OPENING OF THE SPRING. 25 

and of ourselves; and as we rise toward our higher spirit- 
ual nature, thou hast blessedly made us more and more 
dependent upon thee ; and so thou hast made it, that we 
. shall come nearer to God as we grow strong in ourselves. 
Thou hast directed it that we should be less and less self- 
dependent and self-sustained, and more and more enriched 
' by a sovereign and blessed dependence upon thee. 

And this is our joy, that whatever gift we receive 
blesses not alone in the thing that it is itself, but in the 
word which it brings of remembrances from thee. And 
as the flowers of the earth that are fair, are fairer when 
love sends them to us ; and as the fruits of the field are 
good, but better and perfumed with a rarer flavor when 
they are instances and significant symbols of another's 
thought: so all the gifto that we work out ourselves, the 
things which we pluck from the boughs of life by our 
own industries, if we see them also as the gifts of God, 
become doubly valuable. Yet at times all those things 
seem to us only in their lower uses; but they are sovereign 
and unspeakably precious because they are a part of the 
thoughts of God toward us. 

It is our joy that we live in thee. It is this connection 
of ours with thee that every year makes us more and 
more upright and immovable as the sons of God. We 
are glad that we do not float hither and thither like bar- 
ren waifs ; we are glad that we do not stand only by the 
adhesion of our natural powers to this world ; we are 
glad that we have a life in God, and that we are col- 
lectively the very body of Christ, of which he is the 
head. 

Now, O Lord, wilt thou teach us more and more by an 
inward experience what are these truths of fellowship and 
unity wdth thee: more and more may we sit down be- 

2 



26 BEECHER'S rULPIT deyotions. 

neath tliy care with the sweetest delight. We are weak, 
but thou art strong, that the weak may be made strong ; 
we are blind or very short-sighted, thou art penetrating 
and omniscient, seeing the end from the beginning; and 
thou givest wisdom liberally to those that ask, and up- 
braidest not. Thou art never mocking us ; thou never 
givest a gift with a reproach; thou never pardonest with 
any word of thy thought about our transgressions. Thou 
only art tender and full of delicacy of feeling ; thou only 
forgettest, and yet thou art the unforgetting One, and 
nothing can be hid from thy thought, nor from thy memo- 
ry, which is the universal book, where all being writes 
itself; but our sins are forgotten ; they sink as stones at 
the bottom of the sea ; thou makest mention of them no 
more forever ; and all the grace which we abuse to-day, 
rises up with a sweet and pleasant fruit to meet our re- 
turn to-morrow. Would God that his goodness might 
lead us to repentance, and that, if we are not afraid to sin, 
we might be at least ashamed to sin. 

May we remember out of what a bosom we draw such 
patience. Thou, that boldest thyself in everlasting purity, 
art not indolent nor secure in thine own enjoyment; thou 
that art continually active and moving through all crea- 
tion, exercising thy whole power and vast being in bene- 
faction; may we see against whom it is that we thus 
sin — so selfish, so narrow, so limited and plied with vain 
and contesting passions. In all our folly, passion, and 
vanity, in all our sordid selfishness, we are continually 
arraying ourselves against thee; and thou continuest 
forgiving with long, suffering patience, with gentleness 
unmatched. Thou, everlasting and grand in the glory 
of thy nature, art bearing with us, and carrying us as it 
were in thy bosom, that thou mayest develop by thy pa- 



OPENING OF THE SPIUNG. 27 

tience and goodness those supernal traits that shall yet 
make ns fit for heaven and thine own society. 

We bless thee for thy faithfulness ; we bless thee for 
thy patient continuance in well-doing toward us ; we 
are saved by thy goodness ; it is our only hope. There 
could be no expectation of perseverance in life, none of 
triumph in death, none of immortality, were it not found in 
the nature of thy greatness and goodness. And now we 
beseech thee, that we may not plead this argument as 
a reason why we shall go on in sin, that grace may 
more and more abound. May every thing that is in us 
be touched with honor, conscience, love, and gratitude ; 
and may we desire to consecrate our lives within and 
without, of all thought or action, of spirit or body, our 
whole body and soul ; may we consecrate all to the 
service of our God ; for it is our reasonable sacrifice. We 
owe ourselves to thee ; we do justly thus judge, that " if 
one died for all, then were all dead ; and he died that 
those who live should henceforth not live unto them- 
selves, but unto him who died for them." So may we 
live, and more and more abundantly may the fruit of our 
life answer to the faithfulness of thy labor in us and 
for us. 

We beseech thee that thou wilt help every one in 
thy presence according to their needs ; for as rains come 
down, and yet serve every plant according to its own 
nature, coming forth in difierent colors, different blos- 
soms, and different fruit, so let thy grace, which we may 
not see, yet work in each one of us the things that we 
specially and individually need. May we remember 
that we are before thee as those that are sick before the 
benevolence of their physician ; and may we not be 
ashamed to come to God because of the thoughts which 



28 beecher's pulpit devotions. 

we have of ourselves, or as if God had the thoughts 
which other men have of us. However poor we may be, 
however feeble in mind, however little of value to 
society, however we may have sinned, and done wickedly 
and corruptly in deceits and hypocrisies, and in long 
continuance therein, whatever may be our facility 
toward evil, and our slow and burdensome way toward 
goodness, thou art One that canst not hear the first 
risings of desire unaffected ; and that which is in us as 
the faint trickling of a drop, springs up as the motion of 
ocean tides in thee ; and thou art ready to take us in the 
greatness of thy being and not according to our own 
inward strength alone, but according to our power 
multiplied and made great by thy power. 

May every one venture upon God, not in presump- 
tion, but humbly; conscious of weakness and of want, 
needing God as the hungry body needs bread and the 
thirsty lips water ; may we come to thee as the bread 
of life and as the flowing river of our life. We beseech 
thee that there may be none who shall complain that 
they are outcasts, none who shall knock and find no 
opening, none who shall reach out empty hands drawn 
back as empty. We beseech thee that thou wilt ful- 
fill thy promises, according to the measure of thine own 
declaration, and do exceeding abundantly more for ub 
than we ask or think. 

Our life in this sphere is passing ; we are as shadows 
w^hich travel as summer winds across the field ; we arc 
making haste to go up unto thee, O God ; may we every 
day find that with each onward step of time there is an 
upward step in character; may we find that we are 
coming nearer to God, and know that we are becoming 
like him; may we feel that we are coming near to the 



OPEKING OF THE SPEIXG. 29 

heavenly host, in that our spirit is being made like unto 
theirs; and so may we have the evidence of advancing 
immortality, in the advance of all those things that shall 
make immortality a blessedness and a boon of God to us. 

Bless, we beseech thee, the sick ; comfort them in their 
sickness. Bless the poor ; sustain them in their poverty. 

Bless the bereaved, comfort them in the midst of thy 
strokes that have desolated their joys. If there be frost 
that hath extinguished their garden and all its blossoms, 
may they remember that frosts come, and spring comes 
again; and may they hope in God. We beseech thee 
that thou wilt sustain those who are under temptation, 
and let them not be tempted more than they are able to 
bear. O Lord Jesus, stand by them ; and, in the day of 
their trial, hold them up for thine own name's sake. 

Be with those that are burdened with the cares of life ; 
may they be manful in their duties ; may they go for- 
ward and do the work of God in their own affairs with 
diligence and with gladness. May they not shrink from 
the battle and the warfare of life, but everywhere carry 
Christ ; so that he shall be honored in every thing that 
they do. 

May we all go forward ; and at last may this church, 
— we that sing together, rejoicing in sweet and heavenly 
sympathies together, — may this great embodied church 
march chanting and glorifying God from earth to heaven, 
there to know each other ; and may it be our inexpressi- 
ble joy forever to celebrate thy praise, thy faithful 
patience of love, which has brought us safely from earth 
there ; and we will unite together in heaven, as feebly 
and imperfectly here we unite together, in ascribing the 
praise of our salvation to the Father, the Son, and the 
Holy Spirit. Amen. 



CLOSma TRAYER. 

Our heavenly Father, we beseech of thee that thou wilt command thy 
blessing to rest upon us, and especially upon the truth which we have 
contemplated. Most imperfectly do we behold it ; we feel borne on this 
celestial flood. How feeble is our flight, and how endless beyond the 
utmost reach of thought are the outstretched realms yet of thought when 
we attempt to compass thy being; when we attempt to digest thy nature, 
and to lay one faculty and one attribute against another and harmonize 
thee. we are as insects that build pyramids. We know not what we do ; 
we hold the balances in our finite hand to weigh the infinite and the eternal. 
But this we know, that Christ died, and that he died from love to man, to 
save the world, and that this is the nature of G-od revealed in Christ 
Grant, we beseech thse, that we may be fired with ardor of love and 
admiration for such a G-od ; grant that, beholding as in a glass the glory 
of the Lord, we may be changed into the same image, from glory to glory, 
even as by the Spirit of the Lord. Amen. 



NEED OF GOD, 



Sabbath Morning. 

m VOCATION. 

Our Heavenly Father, we are drawn to thee by our wants. Every 
day our needs remind us of thee ; and thou hast taught us thus to in- 
terpret our necessities, and we are called to God with every hour and 
at every moment. Be pleased to meet us ; be pleased to reveal thyself to 
us. And since thou art the light and the life of every one — since thou art 
the bread and the meat upon which we live — since thou art all in all — grant 
that we may behold thee supplying our necessities. "We rejoice that we 
again hail the morning, which is the chiefest and best of all the week. 
"We admire the place ; we rejoice together. And while our thoughts are 
half drawn downward and outward by memories of the past, here we are 
drawn upward again, and are lifted into the presence of our God. Grant, 
then, while we shall pursue, for our edification, the exercises of public 
instruction and worship, that we may have thy helping Spirit. May we 
understand thy truth, and feel its significance and power. May we 
rejoice together, and in the fellowship of song draw near to thee ; may 
we be able to pray, because thou dost excite the desire and lead the way ; 
may all the exercises of our public devotion, and all the joy and worship 
of our homes to-day, be divinely blest. We ask it for Christ's sake. Amen. 

BEFORE SERMON. 

We rejoice, O Lord our God, that we are made to 
need thee. "We are not created and dispersed, as are 
tlie ostriches of the desert, that go abroad upon their 
desolate errands over the sand from the moment of their 
birth ; but we are made to lie in the bosom of thy love, 
and to receive our growth of thee. More than little 



32 beecher's pulpit devotions. 

children need their parents, do we need thee; for every 
part of our life needs thee. Our whole body calls out 
for thee upon that earth which thou sustainest by thy 
right hand. We stand by that wisdom which guides the 
spheres. Our destiny is controlled, and thou art obliged 
to guard us in all our wide circuits, wandering like 
flying stars. 

Thou art the One that dost pierce the distance, and 
whose arm of might is felt in the utmost recesses and 
distances of creation. Though we need this sustaining 
power of Grod, sent down upon us in suns and rains, 
in times and seasons, how much more do we need 
thee within, to know how to lead forth our thoughts, 
how to form all our dispositions, and to connect our 
separate parts of experiences into a consistent whole and 
choice character. This is beyond our knowledge ; for we 
know not how to touch the springs of our own life- 
powers, or touch them but ignorantly. Thou hast fash- 
ioned us within and without; and thou art to us a father 
indeed, and an everlasting teacher, guiding, influencing, 
and constraining ; and we rejoice that we are thus neces- 
sitous of thee. In the very sources of our life we call 
out for God. For thou art supreme in excellence, thou 
art glorious in holiness, thou art wonderful in praises. 
They that are disabused of their flesh, and stand before 
thee in all the glorious liberty of spiritual life — they be- 
liold thee, and beholding, break forth into joy ; and the 
joy of those that are thus made rich in happiness is the 
peace of heaven. 

We are glad, O Lord, that thou art such an one, and 
that thou art pleased to call thyself our father, the ever- 
lasting father, though the mighty God. And though we 
are at the extremities of creation, though all our way up 



NEED OF GOD. 33 

to greatness is yet to be walked and traveled, yet we 
rejoice that tliou art pleased to call us thine own, and to 
teach us that thy heart yearns after us, that where thou 
art, there we may be also. 

Now, we beseech of thee, O Lord our God, that thou 
wilt fill us this day with a sense of thy graciousness and 
goodness. May a sense of God banish our doubts and 
needless fears. May we feel that thou dost know how 
to sustain thyself and thine administration, and yet take 
care of guilty and sinful creatures, that their faults may 
not be their ruin. May we rejoice in believing, though 
our transOTessions have been many, and thouo;h our 
offenses may have been heinous. May we stand in the 
fall faith of that wondrous divine wisdom which knows 
how to rescue us without jeopardy to any other interests. 
We do not understand how. What do we understand 
of thee, or of any thing which is a part of thine infinity ? 
But we believe that thou art, and that thou canst have 
mercy on whom thou wilt. Thou art not hedged in by 
our prejudices, nor by our restrictions, nor by any neces- 
sities of thy government ; but thou takest counsel from 
thine own royalty, thou askest the generosity of thy 
heart ; and by that love which is infinite in all its 
directions and attributes — ^by that, thou dost take coun- 
sel, and then do as seemest best to thee. Thus we stand 
surrounded by all the transcendent grandeur of divine love. 

We know that we are unworthy: every day we 
feel that we are more than unworthy. We feel that if 
thou wert to administer according to any scheme of 
strict justice — if thou wert to measure our life by any 
law, or by our own consciousness of what is fit and be- 
coming — we know that we could not stand for an hour. 
Thou art not a judge, but thou art our father ; thou 



34 beecher's pulpit devotions. 

dost not wish to judge, unless wo press tlirough all tliy 
mercies and compel thee to accept us only as evil. Thou 
wilt not be a judge to us ; thy desire is to be a friend to 
the friendless : thy longing is to be a father to us. Thou 
dost come and beg for companionship, for thy sake and for 
ours. We beseech thee that we may rejoice in this, that 
there is an administration possible wherein love may do 
its royal work ; and in this power, grandeur, wisdom, 
and love of God, we have all our hope and place all our 
expectation. 

InTow, we beseech thee, that this may not lead to pre- 
sumption. May we not harden ourselves, and of necessity 
be cast out from the favor of divine love, by believing 
that thou wilt do all things in spite of our recreancy and 
against our contumacy. May we rather be led by the 
goodness of God to repentance. May we be ashamed to 
treat thee ill because thou treatest us well. May we 
be ashamed to sin because thou art willing to forgive. 
We would not so treat any earthly friend, and O deliver 
us from the ignominy that shall so ofiend thee or so treat 
God. We beseech of thee that we may heartily repent, 
day by day, of conscious imperfection and folly; and 
wilt thou strengthen ns, not according to our wisdom in 
what we need ; give us, but according to thy wisdom : 
for we know how we every day overrule our children, 
and think further than they think, and prepare more 
than they dream is needful, and do a thousand times 
more by the light of our larger life and experience than 
they would desire if they should speak their wants ; and 
how little of all that we do do, they ask. So we beseech of 
thee, according to the royalty of thy greatness abov^e 
ours, that thou wilt do for us exceeding abundantly, more 
than we ask or think. 



NEED OF GOD. 35 

And we beseech, of tliee that we may have the confir- 
mation of that blessed estate, the expectation of which, 
and the sense of its near approach, aftbrds ns consolation, 
when the time shall come in which we shall stand free 
from imperfection, and be worthy of the divine loving. 
We cannot bear forever to be a burden npon thy bosom. 
We cannot bear forever to think that thon art obliged to 
put forth mercy and to forgive at every single step. We 
do not love to weary thy patience or hang forever upon 
the hands of thy love. O our God, we rejoice that there 
shall come a day when it shall not be so ; when we shall 
be gathered with those that are garnered, when we shall 
go with those that are gone, when we shall rise with 
those that have flown upward, and are to-day chanting 
their joy in tlie ears of Jehovah. We rejoice that we shall 
inherit what they know who have the fruition of that 
which we expect to be hereafter. And in all the steps 
that yet are to be taken, in all the experiences of life, in 
heart troubles, in passions to be borne, in trials, in sor- 
rows, in heartaches, in yearnings, longings, and unsatis- 
fyings ; in temptations and struggles, in dovmfalls or 
in uprising victories ; in all that we bear, or endure, or 
achieve, or suffer, grant that we may have a sense of 
God with us — God with us in providence, God with us 
more blessed than that, in the Spirit witnessing in our 
spirit, touching every thought, imbuing every aftection, 
and dwelling with us as a friend with a friend, by the 
sweet affinities of like feeling. 

Now, we beseech thee, O God, that thou wilt so give 
thyself unto us, as the bread of life ; for if thus thou art 
ministering to us thou wilt become as our food, as our 
drink, and as our raiment. Thou wilt be to us as a 
shadow of a great rock in a weary land. We shall find 



36 

in thee all that the earth fails to secure us ; thou wilt 
supplement every joy, thou wilt make every experience 
of gladness yet higher gladness ; thou wilt make things 
seemingly pure, seven times greater in purity ; thou 
wilt deepen all true affections, and efface all base ones ; 
thou wilt build us up into all truth, justice, rectitude, 
and loveliness, for thine own sake and for ours; and so 
may our life be a life hidden with God. 

We pray that thou wilt bless those that stand in thy 
presence together this morning. How unlike are we one 
to another, and how exactly alike are we before thee ! 
How different in our parentage, how wondrously dif- 
ferent in our education, how different in all the parts of 
our nature, and in all those habits that have been formed 
upon them ; in our views, prejudices, and associations ; 
so different that we scarcely know how to get along with 
each other, because our pride teaches us to put emphasis 
on the things in which we differ one from another ; but 
thou lookest upon us in the things we agree. All of us 
are children of the dust, all of us have common weak- 
nesses, all of us are alike temptable, stumbling, and fall- 
ing. All depend upon thee in the great needs of our 
being, all marching with one step toward the glorious 
disinthrallment of the eternal sphere; all of us are 
redeemed by Christ's sufferings and righteousness ; all 
waiting for the promise of the Father. How many and 
how great are the things that band us together; that 
stamp upon us the name of God, and give us a common 
brotherhood. 

We beseech thee that we may feel this high and 
solemn fellowship, this grandeur and glory of unity, every 
day when we come together to worship. May we be 
lifted above form, and carried above all mere exponents 



NEED OF GOD. 37 

of truth, and stand in the fellowship of those blessed 
truths in Christ Jesus. May we learn to love one 
another, not with mere sentiment, but with truth, and a 
charity that will show itself in all the phases of life. 
May we feel that to love is better than to be great ; is 
l)etter than to be refined ; is better than to be wise ; that 
love takes precedence of all prophecy, of every kind of 
knowledge, and of the gift of tongues ; that love is higher 
than hope and faith, and is the very royalty of God. 

Bless those that need special comfort this morning, 
and we pray that thou wilt grant imto them those whis- 
perings which we may never utter without knowing 
the conscious peace which comes from God's touch. O 
do thou strengthen those that have troubles ahead; 
may they not be afraid of them ; may they go as ship- 
masters go, sailing not only in the day but through the 
night, upon the sea ; and though they see no land, may 
they have thy word that shall be a sure guide to them ; 
and as thou hast said that all things shall work together 
for good, may they not be afraid to go into trouble, but 
may they be saved by hope and by trust in God. Are 
any in affliction ? have any thought that their life was 
well nigh crushed out of them ? May they now rise up 
from their desolations to be ashamed that they thought 
themselves overthrown, and never again to be sped out 
of God's hand. May they feel that they can never be 
separated from the love of God in Christ Jesus, and that 
they are touched with trouble only that they may be 
more gloriously builded up for the eternal world ; and if 
they know it not by thy teaching, yet may they believe 
that all things are meant to work for their good. Teach 
them how to bear what they cannot understand, but 
more and more to take the spiritual discernment of what 



38 beecher's pulpit devotioxs. 

the cliastisements and the deahngs of God are with them. 
Bless thou those who may be strangers, and although 
they may feel themselves to be strangers, may they 
nevertheless have the fellowship and welcome of friends. 
Since they are in their Father's house, why are we not 
their brethren? They are of our kindred, and are walk- 
ing with us toward our Father's house. Grant, we 
beseech thee, that those that are desolate, those that 
have come sick, those that have come hither with heart- 
ache, those that have no comforters nor counselors, may 
find thee so comforting that this house shall be to them 
the sweetest place on earth, and an anticipation of that 
blessed world where God shall be their God, and all tears 
shall be wiped from all eyes. And to Father, Son, and 
Holy Ghost be praise forever. Amen. 



GOD'S GREATNESS MAN'S SECURITY. 



Sabbath Morning, 

INYOCATIOX. 

"We thank thee, our Father, that we are drawn by thine invisible hand, 
and that we are permitted, day by day, to recognize the signal and the 
invitation to come boldly to the Throne of Grrace to obtain mercy and help 
in time of need. Grrant us this morning with thine invitation thy bless- 
ing, even the gift of the Holy Ghost. By thy life inflame ours; and 
chiefly give us life in that part which brings us near to thee and near to 
heavenly realities. May the world be as the ocean is afar off, the thun- 
ders of whose waves is lost; whose ceaseless agitation is forgot. To us may 
there be no sound of trouble, nor remembrance of care, nor distress of any 
kind. Hide us to-day in thy pavilion; and in thy sauctuary so graciously 
meet us and so abundantly bless us, that it shall be indeed to us the very 
gate of heaven. Wilt thou help us to read thy word to profit ; wilt thou help 
us to speak forth from it counsels of truth and wisdom ; wilt thou help us 
while we draw reverently near to thee iu prayer, and grant that it may 
not be an unfamihar way to our footsteps. Help us to sing together, 
rejoicing in the fellowship of common song, and offering up praise to thee. 
May the exercises in the sanctuary, in our own homes, or in the privacy 
of our hearts, please thee and profit us, for Christ's sake. Amen. 

BEFORE SERMON. 

Thou, O Gocl, art exalted and art supreme ; there is 
no counselor for thee ; there is none that is equal, none 
that can dispute thine authority, or wage war against thy 
power. Thy very thought is destruction, is annihilation ; 
the very movement of thy will is mightier than the 
thunders of the air. Thou canst, with the very turn and 



40 beecher's pulpit DEVOTIOIsS. 

sweep of thy being, briisli all created intelligences out, 
and they are as dust. ISTations before thee are but as the 
drop of the bucket, as the light dust of the balance, a 
very little thing. Thou sittest on the circle of the earth ; 
all its inhabitants are but as grasshoppers; and yet, 
though thou art by thy greatness so transcendently lifted 
above us, — it is by thy greatness that thou art brought 
exceedingly near to every one of us. Thy power, wisdom, 
and controlling agency are not thee ; they are but as thy 
hand. In thy soul is royalty, and grandeur, and divinity 
indeed, for they are un wasted, they are un quenched and 
endless as the love from which we are born, by which 
we were nursed, in which we exist and live. There is 
that spirit which goes forth and fills the heaven and fills 
the earth, and is as an atmosphere of creation — for thou 
dost enwrap all things that thou makest ; and the con- 
stancy of thy love and regard are over all thy works ; 
and in the heights and in the depths, and throughout all 
space boundless and infinite, thou art God over all, 
blessed forever, and forever loving. 

We praise thee ; we rejoice in thee. It is not a 
trouble to us to be exalted and gathered up into the 
greatness of thy being. We love to lose the thought of 
our personality and our identity As children that love 
their parents, and are never so near to a blessed perfec- 
tion in themselves as when gathered in the arms of fond- 
ling love ; so we are never so strong, so clear in ourselves 
and in our own right, so firm, as when we are lost in the 
sympathy and glorious goodness of our God. Be pleased 
to-day, then, to shine abroad and gather us by thy 
shining. As in the morning the sun goes forth and 
gathers all the drops of dew that wait his coming, for 
their glory and their life to depart, so gather all of our 



GODS GREATNESS MAn's SECURITY. 41 

grateful tliouglits to-day, all the loves tliat are tremulous 
upon us to-day, all our gladness and our praise; and 
though it is, in the proportion of thy being, as dew-drops 
are in proportion to the sun, yet thou art One that art 
not worshiped by dominion. 

Thou art pleased with the humble and with the con- 
trite, with such as are of a broken spirit ; thou art pleased 
with the first and most irnperfect sigh of repentance and 
forsaking of evil and yearning to the truth. Thy smile 
is enough to bring thee to us with sweet attraction and 
instant relief. We ask not that thou shouldst accept an 
offering to-day glorious in its fullness ; we come as imper- 
fect creatures in the school of development ; all that we 
bring is imperfect, and much is most sinful both by omis- 
sion and commission. We come to thee knowing that we 
are spared ; that it is mercy which guards our hearts ; that 
it is the long-suffering of God with our indolence, help- 
lessness, pride, and selfishness, that gives us leave to be 
and to have comfort in being by drawing near. We 
come not bringing purified gold and silver as offerings to 
thee; but faint, and hungry, and weary, and often dis- 
couraged, and conscious deeply of our own demerit and 
sinfulness. 

We come before thee because thou hast revealed thy- 
self a God of tender mercy, a Saviour of sinners. Lift 
thou upon us the light of thy countenance, for we are in 
darkness. Send us mercies, for we are weak. Love us, 
not because we are able to repay thee, but because thou 
knowest, in the royalty of thy nature, how to love the 
unworthy and even the unlovely. Grant, we beseech 
thee, that to-day we may have developed toward us the 
Divine nature, in magnanimity, in generosity, in all ten- 
der mercy and kindness. 



42 beecher's pulpit devotions. 

Are tliere those in thy presence that have walked a 
weary way of life and that wonder why they were born ? 
Are there those that, often like thy servant of old, have 
sat down in their wilderness and sighed and prayed that 
they might die ? "Wilt thou draw near to such and re- 
buke their discontent and their want of faith. Rebuke 
the aimlessness of that life that longs to depart. Eebuke 
all that is wrong in them, yet tenderly: bind up their 
trouble, and reveal to them the purposes that thou hast 
in their life now and hereafter, so that they shall be able 
to wait until God shall call them home. 

Are there those in thy presence whose way of life has 
always seemed dark to their understanding ? Grant that 
the^^ may live by faith and not by the knowledge of their 
own outward life. Are there those that mourn before 
thee, humbled in the consciousness of re])eated transgres- 
sion ? Wilt thou speak to them those words of peace 
that are irresistible in the disturbed conscience; may 
they know that thou hast forgiven them and put round 
aboat them the arms of thy comforting grace. Speak 
such words of comfort that they shall not dare to go from 
thee any more. O Lord Jesus, thou art a fountain of 
consolation ; and comfort is most needed in the clouded 
conscience, in the broken spirit, in the discouraged faith. 

To any that have backslidden ; to any that are disconso- 
late in view of their evidences of piety or their want of 
evidence ; to any that vacillate, that break their resolu- 
tions day by day, and who have occasion to set down 
grievous and bitter things of themselves and against 
themselves, O Lord, wilt thou be gracious unto all such; 
encourage them to gird up their loins anew for the con- 
flict of life. Thou didst not call them deceptively : thou 
didst tell them that they were to take the cross and fol- 



god's greatness man's security. 43 

low thee. Thou didst teach them they were to be sol- 
diers, not with constant victories but with constant 
defeats until the end, when they should have a glorious 
victory in their final release. May they persevere, and 
not be distressed by the roughness of the way, nor by the 
number of their adversaries. Are any in thy presence 
longing for a fuller communication of thy grace and 
clearer visions of God ? May they see to it that this is 
not another form of insidious selfishness ; that they do 
not desire to sit upon the top of the mount in glorious 
transfiguration while Satan casts many to the ground 
possessed. May they not desire their own satisfaction 
even in the vision of God ; may they desire above all 
things such a view of thee as shall make them more 
active, more self-denying, more cheerful, more redolent 
of the Christian graces, more radiant in the light of 
holiness. 

Are there any in thy presence who remember when, 
in their childhood, they were led along the path to the 
sanctuary ? Are there any who remember the stillness 
of their home and their childhood Sabbath, who have 
since cast aside prayer and restraint; who have broken, 
without compunction, the laws of God, and gone away 
from all the lessons and teachings of their youth ? Are 
there any upon whom steal gentle thoughts, who yearn 
somewhat against their own purposes and are musing 
what these things shall mean ? Art thou not preparing 
in these earlier breaths of spring to send summer to 
their souls ? 

Be pleased, O God, to melt obdurate hearts. Bo 
pleased to lead to generous repentance those who have 
wasted all the bounties of God in making themselves 
selfish and proud. How hateful must they seem to 



44 beecher's pulpit deyotio:n^s. 

themselves in the Judgment-day if they shall go up un- 
prepared for it, all the wealth of God's kindness and 
mercy having been perverted to their destruction ! We 
pray that thou wilt turn them back before it is too late ; 
put their feet in the right way, and give them a song of 
praise and rejoicing in God. O, how great must be 
the theme of gratulation and thanksgiving in some if 
they shall ever, through grace, redeem their souls from 
destruction ! O, if we are to love in the proportion in 
w^hich we are forgiven, what wealth of love, what depths 
of love do we owe to thee for thy wondrous mercy to us, 
mercy untold and that cannot be told, now nor ever. 

We pray that thou wilt bless not only us, but all 
w^hom our hearts remember. What pilgrims are our 
loves that go forth, ITorth, South, East, and West, royally 
gathering in great multitudes ! Be pleased to make our 
very thoughts the ministers of thy mercy. May those 
whom we love find their hearts flowing already as if 
some angel sent by our prayer ministered them. 

Bless all the congregations that worship thee to-day ; for 
although we may mark distinctions, and learn to suspect, 
and to hate even and divide ourselves against ourselves 
and our brethren, are not all men sinful at the best, and 
are not all striving with their faces toward Jerusalem in 
the great imperiled flock which thou art leading and 
guarding ? 

Be pleased to make the protecting palm of God to be 
over our hemisphere; and though there is rage, and 
wrath, and resistance, though there are wars and rumors 
of wars, agitations and threatenings and tumults, be 
pleased, in thine own infinite peace, still to look calmly 
on and restrain the wrath of man within the appointed 
bounds of thy providence, and by the things which men 



god's greatxess max's security. 45 

mean for wrong, work out righteousness ; and by the very 
passions with which men seek to break over the bounds 
of God's justice, be pleased to establish the things that 
are right and destroy the things that are wrong; and 
wilt thon breathe into thy people a heart of integrity 
and a sense of divine justice. Grant that they may hold 
the truth in love, and justice in love, and firmness in 
love, and may they be clothed with love as with a gar- 
ment, and go forth to all purposes of equity and to all 
wisdoms imbued with this divinest wisdom. 

And now if thou hast appointed us for judgments by 
reason of our great sins, we beseech thee that we may 
not be as brute beasts that know not why they are 
stricken and cower down. May we understand why 
God is in judgment with us. May we not look round 
about for the sins of men in general, but may we imder- 
stand the sins of luxury, of selfishness, of lust, of domin- 
ion, and our carelessness of God's creatures, our supreme 
indifference to those things which are in the heart of 
God as the very elements of life itself — our heaven-defy- 
ing infidelities in our treatment of our fellow-men. We 
beseech thee that we may repent of those sins which thou 
art out in judgment against ; Ave pray that thou wilt, in 
thine own manner and in thine own time and by thine 
own appointed instruments, bring to pass the day of 
peace, a day in which peace shall be unbroken because 
it shall stand upon the unshaken foundations of equity. 
May justice rule throughout all our States, and love be 
the spirit of administration. May divine wisdom thus 
supersede human passion and wickedness in all our land. 

Raise up, as thou hast never failed to raise in times 
past, men that shall be God's messengers in the time of 
peril. Thou gavest to our fathers counselors and lead- 



46 beecher's pulpit devotioij^s. 

ers after tliine own heart ; thou didst rear up in times of 
peril men that were leaders and counselors. They are 
not all gone from thy mind and power, thou canst yet 
raise up men and give them the wisdom the times re- 
quire. Give forth men who may understand the coun- 
sels of God, and know how to bear them successfully to 
the discordant minds of others. Accept our thanks that 
the world is not permitted longer to slumber; it is not 
pleasant to be awakened, but it is joyful to faith to know 
that thou art abroad, that thou art shaking the nations, 
that the tremblings of the earth underneath are but the 
resoundings of God's footsteps coming to judgment for 
purposes of mercy. Even so, go forward. 

We are glad for Italy, for Europe, for America. We 
are glad ever when thou comest, even when thou 
comest to us and to the world robed in clouds and 
darkness ; no brightness is bright without the presence 
of our God; and no darkness can drive us or be terrible 
in any wise that carries God with it ; for we wait for thy 
law, we wait for the working out of thine immutable 
counsels ; bring all of thy firm decrees to an end in thino 
own appointed way. O Lord God, consummate thy 
purposes, and redeem the whole earth ; until that glorious 
day of prediction shall come, when all men shall dwell 
together in peace and fertile love, when none shall have 
occasion to say, "Know the Lord," for all shall know 
thee, from the least unto the greatest. Hear us and 
accept of us for Christ's sake. Amen. 



JOY IN THE GOVERNMENT OF GOD. 



Sabbath Morning, 

mVOCATION. 

God, so inanifest thyself here every Sabbath, that hither shall come 
the poor, the sorrowful, the tempted, the outcast, and the distressed. May 
there never come a wanderer here to be sent away without a portion ; and 
may this be a house of mercies, as a token that it is the house of God. 
Wilt thou bless us in all our further life, and grarit that all the streams of 
our varied life may flow heavenward, until at last we come to Mount Zion 
before God ; and to thy name shall be the praise of our salvation, Father, 
Son, and Spirit. Amen. 

Thou eternal God ! before tlie moimtains were brought 
forth or ever thou hadst formed the earth, even from 
everlasting to everlasting, thou art God. Thou dwellest 
in the fullness of the praises of heaven. The uncon- 
strained hearts of those whom thou dost bless, bless 
thee again. Thou dost make all thy creatures happy, 
and art thyself receiving the testimonies of their joy. 
We are glad for thy supremacy ; we are glad that our 
Supreme God is such an one as thou art. "We rejoice 
that we were born, since now there is open to us such a 
destiny. We have such help of thee, and such hope 
through Jesus Christ ; we have so glorious a home 
toward which we are going, that though there be peril, 
and pain, and trials by the way, yet we are glad for the 
journey, and anticipate that day when we shall look 



48 

back upon all the perils of this life as men look upon 
retreating storms spanned with the bow of God. We 
rejoice that we may comfort ourselves without waiting 
for heaven ; yea, that thou art giving us the beginning 
now of its spirit, and causing us to taste some of its joys ; 
enough to cheer us ; enough for the way. 

We beseech thee. O Lord our God, that we may look 
upon our life not as some chance, not as some tumultu- 
ous whirl in which we have but a chance. May we un- 
derstand that this which is to us so much disturbed and 
stirred up and strangely contrary, is appointed of thee 
to be a school ; and that men are to be educated in this 
life by contact with its affairs, and by the discharge of 
its duties. May we understand that those things which 
befall us do not spring from the ground ; that our trials 
and our troubles are not like arrows sent by some ad- 
versary ; that the restrictions and the difficulties, the 
burdens borne, the tasks painful to be performed, are not 
imposed upon us as if they were easy ; that there is an 
oveiTuling wisdom, a guiding hand, a purpose of life ; 
and that though we do not go with our Teacher intelli- 
gently, understanding what he means, yet thou dost 
guide us and conduct us. May we be disposed to accept 
each day therefore as a day appointed of God ; and may 
we search in all our affairs how to approve ourselves be- 
fore our great Teacher ; and may each day educate us in 
truth, in justice, in honor, in love, in fidelity, in patience, 
in meekness, in all things that are good. May there be 
no day in which we are not victorious over some tempta- 
tion, over some evil ; no day in which we are not heroic 
in some endurance or achievement ; no day in which we 
are not imitators of thy divine example. 

We beseech thee that thus every thing may become 



JOY IN THE GOYEENMENT OF GOD. 49 

sacred to us, nothing trivial, nothing unnecessary, noth- 
ing strange. Let ns not fall into the folly of measuring 
thy wisdom by the rule of our unknowing, because we 
cannot explain thy ways, nor see thy reasons, supposing 
each to be strange and wonderful. Why shouldst not 
thou, O God, in the wide power and sweep of tliy 
being, work beyond our understanding ? We rejoice 
that thou art so much greater than we; we cannot 
understand thy goings, except in parts ; but we 
rejoice to believe that we are emerging ; we are coming 
through our ignorance. Already there are streaks of 
light, and by and by the day shall dawn, and we shall 
go forth through that gate, hated of men and beloved of 
thee ; and stand in that land where, ransomed and 
released, enlightened and sanctified, we shall see 
thee as thou art, and all things as they are, and delu- 
sions, and deceptions, and appearances, shall have fled 
away forever, and we shall know even as we are known. 
We rejoice in that coming glory; we have a gentle 
expectation and an humble hope of it. May we not fall 
by the way ; may we not become in any wise cast-aways, 
and so come short of this eternal inheritance; for what mat- 
ters it what we suffer here if that shall be ours ? What 
avails it what we have here, if we lose that eternal glory ? 
We beseech thee that thou wilt teach us how to teacli 
others — how to teach those that are dependent upon our 
example and instruction — how to teacli our children and 
those that are put beneath us ai' pupils. May we know 
how to guide them in secular and worldly things, that 
they shall become monitors and teachers of better things. 
And we beseech thee that the young in our midst may 
never lose the purity of youth, nor be tarnished by early 
wickedness. From the morning of theii' life may they 
3 



60 beecher's pulpit deyotioxs. 

be crowned witli religion ; may they go fortli as the 
children of God, rejoicing in their calling ; may they be 
gnided over all experiences of life, of knowledge, of 
truth, and of virtue ; may they be guided by thy good 
providence and spirit, so that every one of them shall 
assuredly take hold of eternal life. 

O let the prayers long delayed at last be answered in 
behalf of those who have had Christian training, but who 
have grown up to forget their training. Bring back the 
wanderers from the ends of the earth, and from all hope- 
less experiences. Bring back the children of the cove- 
nant, consecrated by the faith of parents, and for whom 
ten thousand prayers have gone up. O Lord, remember 
them. Is it not the time for the release of some of the 
captives ? Art thou not remembering the sinner 
already, and giving liberty to some that are in bondage 
to Satan ? Even so come. Lord Jesus, for their release 
that sit in darkness, and give them light, and lift upon 
them the joys of thy salvation. 

We beseech thee that thou wilt bless all for whom 
we should pray — thy people of every name ; divided in 
name, may they be united in affection. May those things 
which tend to divisions, to envyings, to jealousies, and 
to confusions among thy churches, pass away. May 
justice, love, and purity, stand in the sanctuary. May 
all thy people be substantially united by their common 
love to Christ, and by love to each other. Fill the 
earth with thy glory ; fulfill all the blessed predictions 
of thy word ; gather in Jew and Gentile; and may the 
glory of the Lord fill the earth as tlie waters fill the 
sea ; and to thy name shall be the praise. Father, Son, 
and Spirit. Amen. 



DIVINE WISDOM ABOVE ALL HUMAK 



An Evening Prayer, 

We rejoice, O Lord our God, to believe that those con- 
fusions and turmoils of life that seem to us strange 
and mysterious, are before thee simple ; and those things 
which, to our uninterpreting eye, are evils, mischiefs, and 
wastes, to thine eye are messengers of mercy, guiding 
and conducting influences ; for thou art bringing many 
sons and daughters home to glory ; and we are not large 
enough nor wise enough to understand the footsteps of 
that way which thou treadest in dealing with men. Our 
sanctuary is built of men's hands, and the few ways by 
which we know how to touch the heart are indeed 
meager and unsatisfactory ; and yet we measure thee in 
the greatness of thy power and in the richness of thy 
resources, by our own miserable expedients and expe- 
rience. We forget that thou art the king of time and 
the God of all the earth ; that thou dwellest in eternity, 
in light inapproachable ; that all power and wisdom are 
with thee. Endless and diversified means are thine, and 
thou art, through ways which seem to us to reverse all 
good, bringing good to pass, light out of darkness, good 
out of evil, and order out of confusion ; so that all the 
earth doth serve thee, even hates, and wastes, and wars. 
Thou dost restrain the wrath of man, and cause the 
remainder thereof to praise thee. 



52 • bsecheb's pulpit devotioxs. 

And now we adore thee, O tliou blessed God, tliou that 
art exalted above all ascription ; thou that canst not bo 
described, nor enough loved x)r admired ; thou that art 
in heaven, surrounded by ten thousand times ten thou- 
sand now congenial spirits, we, too, though far down, are 
in thy train — we, too, feel this divine impulse, and 
though with imperfect thought, and with mixed feelhigs, 
and with impure hearts, yet claim thee God according to 
the measure of our power, as they do in heaven accord- 
ing to the -measure of their power. Yfe rejoice in the 
blessedness of their victory, nor do we repine that it is 
not given us to be conquerors upon earth. Oars is yet 
the warfare ; theirs the rest. We yet are in bodies that 
require our severest government ; we are attempting to 
bring every thought and feeling into subjection to Jesus 
Ohrist^s law ; we are wrestling witli pride that refuses 
coercion, and watching selfishness that presses like a 
flood. 

O God, we are yet endeavoring to contend against prin- 
cipalities, the prince of the power of the air, the spirit 
that worketh in the children of disobedience ; we are 
laboring in every way of life to perfect the spirit of 
Christ in us, and it doth not cost any sadness in us to 
think that there are some that have finished this work ; 
that they were ours, but now are thine. We are glad for 
their victory, nor are we discouraged with the battle 
because they have gone first, but rather we are enheart- 
ened ; and we are sure that the path that gave them vic- 
tory is the path that Christ trod and that we shall tread. 
And we take comfort to-night that there seem to come 
to us from tlie very heavens those sweet and nourishing 
influences which we so much need in life. Parents 
speak to us by ten thousand memories; dear friends 



DIVIDE TTISDOM ABOVE ALL HUMAN. 53 

gone from us speak back again, and our yearnings take 
hold of those that were our children, but are now thine 
angels. 

And we are glad for heaven, and for them that are 
dwelling therein, and for them that are blessed by thee ; 
and it is sweet and comforting to us to think, that the 
same voices that we taught to speak are now praising 
God in heaven in strains unknown to us. ]-^or are we 
envious that our children have outrun their parents, while 
we are glad for that rest which remaineth for us. None 
shall take our place ; there is enough and to spare, and 
we go forward in our journey of life knowing that we 
are journeying toward sunrise, that the darkness is be- 
hind us, and the light more and more before us. And 
we desire to be more faithful and courageous, and endur- 
ing unto the end. 

Wilt thou minister of thy own good spirit to every 
one in thy presence, according to their several necessities. 
Thou only canst read the heart ; thou knowest far bet- 
ter than they know. We know not at all for others, but 
thou knowest what they need ; and we pray that, when 
they ask for things which they want rather than need, 
tliou wilt press through their unwisdom by thine own 
divine wisdom, and give them that which they need. 
May thy will be done in them, and may they desire that 
it may be done, and desire to have every thought, every 
purpose, and everj tendency of life baptized in the spirit 
of God. 

Forgive us the sins of our past lives. Forgive us that 
goodness is so feeble in us, and that selfisliness, pride, and 
worldliness are so strong ; that when we should have 
been fruitful under such teachings and influences of 
Christ, we are unfruitful. Forgive us every thing that 



54 beecher's pulpit devotions. 

tarnishes the brightness that thou dost see in thy be- 
loved, and grant, we beseech of thee, that we may have 
that peace which God gives to those whose sins are 
pardoned. Help ns to-night, as we dwell for the hour 
together, to read, to sing, to speak, to hear, and to think 
to our edification in spiritual things, and glorify thyself 
by our joy, by our worship, by our growth in grace, by 
our suffering, by our life, and by our death ; and when 
through death we come again to life, we will give the 
praise of our salvation to the Father, the Son, and the 
Holy Spirit. Amen. 



CONFESSION AND PENITENCE. 



Sablath Morning. 



INVOCATION. 



Thou that commandest light to shine out of darkness; we thank thee 
that thovi hast brought forth the morning hght, and poured it upon this 
day of rest, filhrig it that we might take refreshment this day; and now 
grant that we may have not alone that pervading light in .which we stand 
bodily, but more that joyf^il and peaceful light by which thou dost shine 
into the soul — thine own £,pirit — bringing day to our night, that art bring- 
ing warmth to our dullness and deadness. Now we beseech of thee, that 
ail the accustomed exercises of worship in this house on this day, may 
receive from thee divine inspiration^ Empower thy word, that it may 
carry forth the thought and wiU of God to our apprehension and belief. 
Give force and power, we beseech of thee, to all the efforts which are 
made for instruction, conviction, humiliation, and penitence, out of thy 
sacred oracles. Wilt thou, God, teach us how to come near to thee, 
sorrowing in prayer, and to commune vath thee in penit3nce. And when 
our souls begin to discern something of thy glory, may it be cur longing 
to offer thee praises, and may we have a fellowship to-day of rejoicing in 
song, and may all the exercises of the Sabbath at home be blest, and may 
it be a day of refreshment and great peace, which we ask for Christ's 
sake. Amen. 

BEFORE SERMON. 

OtJE heavenly Father, we come not to make known 
our wants as if thou needest that we should inform thee, 
but to express our gladness, to utter thanksgiving, to 
make confession of sin and supplication — for thou hast 
made it pleasant to us and acceptable unto thee that we 
should hold communion with thee; and whenever we 



56 

take tliy sacred name upon our lips and enter into 
prayer, thou dost bring near to ns the glorious trutlis of 
our relationship to thee. "We are lifted out of the insig- 
nificance in which we find ourselves ; we have some faint 
glimpses of that immortality which is ours ; we are em- 
boldened then to seek unto thee, since we are thine and 
thou art ours ; and we find our inward life strengthened 
and augmented, that in this communion with thee onr 
daily life becomes light, our duty easy, our way plain, 
and all thing's are more brio*;ht when we have visited thy 
presence and held communion with thee. 

We thank thee that the access is not barred. The 
poorest, the most ignorant, the most unlettered may call 
thee Father. There is no one that lives to whom thou 
hast not given the power of prayer. Every want is a 
supplication, every yearning a supplication before thee. 
All our aspirations for things purer, higher, and diviner 
—are not these excited in us by the working of thy Spirit ? 
Then thou leadest these excited thoughts up to theo, and 
thus dost return our petitions in blessings innumerable. 

We thank thee for the rich experience we have had in 
days past — for the present rich influences of the Hoi}' 
Spirit; we thank thee that we have hope for the time 
to come. Thou that hast begun a work in us wilt not 
leave it unfinished ; thou wilt perfect it for our sake, but 
3^et more for thine own — ^fbr thou dost love us, and thou 
hast taken us to be a part of thine own, and wilt yet 
present us spotless before thy Father's throne to be 
monaments of thy faithfulness, wisdom, and love. 

And now, O Lord Jesus, we desire to confess our un- 
worthiness ; the limitation of our faculties, the poverty 
of our life, the meagerness with which we do that which is 
ri2:ht, the exceedin^g; iniDerfection of our whole life, and 



COXFESSIO^" AND PENITENCE. 57 

the absolute sinfulness of mucli of it. Eyery day we 
try tliy patience with transgression. We rejoice that 
thou art God and not man, or thy love would be weary 
of the task which thou hast undertaken ; but we do not 
desire, because thou art merciful, long suffering, and for- 
giving, to trespass upon thy grace, and to sin that grace 
may abound. 

We desire, by a view of thy goodness to us sinners, to 
be made more and more ashamed of our transgressions ; 
we desire to turn from them, and with averted face to 
abhor them. Help us to resist our easily besetting sins, 
our inbred corruptions. Help us to take hold of all the 
parts of our disposition and affections of our nature which 
require remolding ; help us to have them inspired, im- 
proved, and pervaded by the love of God. May we not 
be discouraged in the way ; may we not remember all 
the days past in which we have carried our load of sin 
and struo-o^led with ill success : let not the shadow of 
the past gloom our future ; but may we forget the things 
that are behind, and press forward toward the mark for 
the prize of our high calling in Christ Jesus ; for thou 
art everliving; and because thou livest, we shall live 
also. 

O God, thou seest us afar off ; and thou dost run toward 
us and cast thine arms about our neck ; and before we can 
make our complaint, thou, by thy bounty and love, dost 
speak our pardon and receive us again into the house- 
hold ; and, behold ! we that came to have a servant's 
place, that we might have bread to eat, wear the son's 
robe and the ring and the sandal, and walk again justi- 
fied and dignified in our Father's house. "We thank thee 
for this mercy. We lift Jesus up as the brazen serpent 
in the midst of the bitten, — O Lord God, may many look 



58 beecher's pulpit devotions. 

and live, may many behold thee as their strength, and 
may they find thee a present help in time of need. 

O thou patient Saviour ! O thou teaching and illumi- 
nating Spirit ! bring us forth into a clearer understand- 
ing of what it is to live a life of love and to be like God ; 
and if we are attempting to live that life, be thou patient 
with us in all our experiments, in our beginnings and 
failures, in our discouragements and retrocessions often, 
and by thy grace hold us up in our moral weakness until 
we are strong to stand. Be a father to us ; be a teacher 
to us ; nourish and sustain us, till at last we are prepared 
to go forth from this scene of school and trial, and take 
part and lot in that higher sphere where men shall op- 
press men no more; where we shall not be imbruted in 
every part of our nature ; where we shall behold the 
majesty of God and the glory of divine wisdom. And to 
thy name shall be the glory and the praise, Father, Son, 
and Spirit, forever. Amen. 



ENTIRE CONSECRATION". 



Sabbath Morning. 



INTOCATIOJr. 



OxJR Heavenly Father — we are thy children. Although we are weak 
and sinful, we are yet thy children, preserved by thy power, cared for by 
thy love, redeemed by thy grace. "We beseech of thee, this morning, that 
thou wilt unveil our face that we may behold thee. Thou art near us 
and around about us, but we are dark-minded and do not discern the 
traces of our God until thou dost teach us, and tiien with sensible com- 
fort we behold thee where thou wert not to our seeming before. Grant 
this morning that we may have this inward resurrection, this effulgence 
from thee, that we may behold it. Draw us near to thee by all our affec- 
tions. May we worship thee ; may we trust thee ; may we be able to 
praise and rejoice before thee. May thy word stand upladen with divine 
meaning to us ; may all our exercises of prayer and our singing together 
be in the sweet fellowship of a common love and experience. May this 
be a day blessed to our souls. We ask it for Christ's sake. Amen. 

BEFORE SERMON". 

Our Heavenly father — thine hand is ever open, and 
thy heart is always kind. Thou dost not need our 
petitions to persnade thee ; yet thou hast commanded us 
to draw near to thee in prayer, and we have found out 
the reason in our own experience. It is blessed for us to 
ask the things which we should receive even without 
asking. It is blessed to hunger before God, and then to 
take the bread as the gift of thy love to our importunities. 

"We are made better when we are lifted into com- 
munion with thee ; we are made to feel thy nearness and 



60 BEECIIEIl's PULPIT DEVOTIONS. 

thy glory ; made to feel that thou dost sympathize with 
us ; and in drawing near to thee, we realize that thou 
dost draw near to us. In thy great goodness we stand, 
and as soon as we attempt to measure ourselves by any 
other rule, we come short. If we attempt to measure 
ourselves by our conscience, there is neither justice nor 
righteousness in us ; and we find ourselves so exceedingly 
imperfect, that there is no joy and no result of peace ; but 
w^hen we measure ourselves by thy righteousness, w^hen 
vv^e reflect that we are children of a God that gives with 
grace infinitely, and that without stint — in the midst of 
thy boundless compassions, and that it is tlie glory of thy 
nature to do for those that do not deserve — that thou art 
a God of grace, a God of love and mercies unspeakable, 
then we begin to find some ground for hope, some reason 
of confidence to look up, and our hearts are lightened. 

We beseech, that Vv^e may know how to trust thy 
goodness, in such a way as that it shall inspire goodness 
in us. May v/e trust thee in so wise a way that we 
shall feel ourselves being changed into thine image. 
Deliver us from the wickedness of making account of thy 
goodness, that we may go on to sin ; deliver us from the 
temptations to such baseness and selfishness. May the 
goodness, of God rather lead us to repentance. May it 
affect us with like honor and sensibility, and may we 
desire above all things to requite thee w^ith that which 
thou givest us — confidence and love. And as thou art 
the benefactor, may we be obedient to thee ; as thou art 
the Father, may we be the loving children. So plant 
our life in love, and nomisli and perfect us in that spirit, 
that when we leave these mortal bodies, we may be made 
fit to stand in that realm whose atmosphere and all 
whose occupations shall be love. 



EXTIEE COXSECnATION. Gl 

We beseech thee, that tliou wilt help us in the conflicts 
which we wage in this life with things without and with 
things within. May we be able daily to bear our bur- 
dens, and to carry on our duties and various avocations 
in a truly Christian spirit. May we be sanctified by thy 
Spirit, and made meet to be the children of light. Grant 
that we may not seek for sanctification apart from duty. 
May we look more upon our every-day experiences, as 
having a moral meaning and as appointed of God to 
minister grace unto us ; and whether we eat or drink, 
or whatever we do, ma,y we seek in it to glorify thee. 
May we be patient, faithful, and truthful, filled with 
honor. May we be clothed with gentleness and with 
humility — seek, like thee, to be full of all kindness one 
toward another — seek the things which make for peace, 
and whereby one may edify another — ^live as seeing him 
who is invisible — and knowing that the beginnings of 
eternity are here with us in time. 

We pray that thou wilt lift up the faces of those who 
look down with sorrow. Send light into their hearts 
who sit in darkness, and give cheer and hope to those 
that sit in despondency. May those that reason with 
themselves, and look inwardly, begin to see how foolish 
that is, and look up and behold the glory of Christ. 
May they see that in him and not in themselves is their 
life and their salvation. Comfort those that are feeble- 
minded ; and may those that have backslidden, and yet 
would return to the shepherd and bishop of their souls, 
find grace in thy sight. May all that mourn for sin find 
to-day pardon of God, and may all that long for a present 
help in trouble find Christ present and precious. May 
all those that desire to enter into covenant again vv'ith 
their Saviour — a covenant of life, of heart, and of spirit, 



62 BEECHER^S PULPIT DEYOTIO^^S. 

O grant that they may find it easy to-day to commune 
with thee, and may they he drawn cheerfully and gladly, 
by thy gracious Spirit, into covenant vows and obliga- 
tions. May it not be hard for us to pledge ourselves to 
thee ; but may it be a spontaneous act. May we rejoice, 
above all other things, to give ourselves to Christ Jesus, 
who gave himself for us, and whose life flows out di- 
vinely toward us. 

Eemember all those that are not with us this day — 
our dearly beloved brethren that, in thy providence, are 
detained at home ; or are scattered abroad through our 
land, and that, perad venture, are up and down in the 
places of the world. May thy mercy go forth from the 
center of thy heart to-day, everywhere, and comprehend 
in its embrace all whom we love, all of whom we think, 
or for whom we desire. Bless the members of this 
church, and unite them together in the fellowship of a 
practical Christian life. Prepare them for all thy right- 
eous will ; prepare them for living, for dying, and for 
immortality in glory. AVe beseech thee, that thou wilt 
add to this church, from time to time, of such as shall be 
saved; r^ay there be many uniting with it, gathered 
from oui uf the world, with their faces cleared and filled 
with light, and turned to the New Jerusalem. Confirm 
those that are weak ; restore those that have wandered, 
and bring back to the faith any that have gone forth 
from out of it. And that thy work may not be in vain 
in our midst, may there be peace in our churches round 
about. 

Strengthen those that preach the Gospel, that they 
may be able to do it with power from on high ; may 
they never faint ; may they go forth bearing precious 
seed — it may be weeping, but may they soon come again 



ENTIEE CONSECRATION'. 63 

witli rejoicing, bringing tlieir sheaves with them : and 
.tliough the earth is full of violence, and though it be 
shaken to its foundation, yet may we be quiet, knowing 
that God rules in the armj^ of the heavens, and in the 
armies of the earth, and that all things shall work 
together for the good of them that love thee. Even so, 
Lord Jesus, come quickly. And to thy name shall be the 
pj-aise, Father, Son, and Spirit. Amen. 



CLOSING PRAYER. 

Almighty Grod, wilt thou bless the word spoken to the edification of 
thy people. Quicken our conscience, and lead us again to lay the founda- 
tions on which we stand. May we make a solemn review, and know what 
our soul-treasures are. May it not be enough for us that we are rich in 
worldly matters. May we desire to be rich in manhood, that we may 
take hold upon an eternity of joy in thy presence. May we search thy 
word to behold and ponder the cautions which thou dost give us in the 
active business of life. May we heed the silent monitions of our own in- 
ward nature. And may we seek, by sympathy and prayer, day hy day, 
the guidance of thy Holy Spirit. And wilt thou direct us in the intricate 
channel of life which we ourselves C9,nnot pilot. thou that art wise 
without mistake, be pleased to guide us and bring us safely to the haven 
of eternal rest. We ask it for Christ's sake. Amen. 



COMMUNINGS WITH JESUS. 



Sabbath Morning. 



INYOCATIOX. 



God, thou art in heaven and we upon the earth ; thou art pure, wo 
are sinful. Mighty art thou and full of infinite resources ; we are crushed 
before the moth, and in utter weakness, depend upon thee for life and 
breath and all things. "We come to the source of our being, to the 
fountain of all our good, this morning, making acknowledgment of our 
dependence, and supplicating for help. Wnt thou give forth that influence 
which shall inspire in us holy thoughts and blessed desires. Take away 
those things that shall tempt the imagination, or the reason, or any of our 
passions and affections, and may we worship thee to-day in the beauty of 
holiness. May thy word glow, and every letter be as a lighted lamp. 
May tlie truths which we shall seek for our instruction to draw from it be 
truths like bread for the nourishment of our hfe. Help us to draw near to 
thee in communion of prayer ; help us to unite in the fellowship of song, 
and may every thing that we do, please thee and profit us, for Christ's 
sake. Amen. 

BEFORE SER3I0:N-. 

We thank thee, O Jesus, that thou hast appeared once 
for all and offered an everlasting sacrilice. Now thou art 
gone into the temple, not made with hands, eternally 
built in heaven, and thou dost appear for us there, before 
the throne of God ; and art our intercessor and our medi- 
ator. Thou dost represent thy people in thyself, and art 
forever caring for them. Thine earthly tears and thine 
earthly groans but symbolize thy care and the weight 
which lies upon thee evermore ; for the earth and all 



06 beecher's pulpit deyotioxs. 

nations of men are thine, and tliou art the sole guide of 
this weary pilgrimage of human life through all its condi- 
tions and its long outstretched periods. Thou, that art 
wonderful, thou that art past comprehension, not so 
much by the metes and bounds of thine existence, as by 
the quality of thine actions, in patience, in love, in for- 
giving mercy, in gentleness, rare and without measure, 
in fullness and ever-watching versatilities of love and 
kindness ; — thou that dost rear thyself up before us in all 
the attitude and in the grandeur of God ; — thou that dost 
carry the weak, and pity the sinful and heal them of 
their sins ; thou that makest it the work of thy lifetime, 
to care for us and to give us that divine education by 
which we shall become fit companions with thee and 
thine in heaveu, we thank thee. 

We know our un worthiness of thy care ; we know we 
do in the best things soil our conduct, and oftentimes sin 
entirely; we confess our transgressions before thee, that 
we may be healed. Do thou deliver us from feigned 
confession. May we, from the heart, recount before thee 
our unworthiness ; and may we desire, and by faith 
accept the forgiveness of our sins — for thou needest not 
to be persuaded ; thou dost not stand reluctant and grant 
this as the extreme boon, but thou art persuading us to 
persuade thee. Thou dost desire to grant unto us every 
grace, and that abundantly. Lead us then, we beseech 
thee, that we may be made willing in the day of thy 
power, and that we may know how to work out our own 
salvation, since it is God that worketh in us. We pray 
that thou wilt humble us, that we may not think our- 
selves to be better than we are. We pray that thou wilt 
break pride in those hearts where it predominates and is 
despotic. 



COMMUNINGS WITH JESUS. 67. 

Wilt thou, we in treat, help every one according to the 
nature of tlie help required by his disposition in the cir- 
cumstances where he is placed, in the scenes in which he 
is tempted, and in the duties to which he is called. 
Thou, O God and Saviour, and thou only, readest the 
heart as an open book — all is plain before thee; there 
are no mysteries with thee, and there can be no mistakes. 
We beseech thee, therefore, that thou wilt use thy 
wisdom to direct every one, and may we so far under- 
stand how blessed is the supremacy of God, that we shall 
be able to say, " Thy will be done," when it is most 
tried ; when it seems most like yielding up our very life 
itself, still may we have faith to say, " ISTot our will^ but 
thine." 

"We beseech thee, O divine Saviour, that thou wilt 
teach us how to bear our lot in life — if we are prospered, 
with moderation ; if we are in trouble, with patience and 
cheerfulness. Hold us back on either hand from sin, 
and may we be conscious of our weakness and of our 
great exposedness to temptation. May we walk, there- 
fore, softly every day, leaning upon the hand of God ; 
may we live as in thy presence, not forgetting that thine 
eye is upon us — for what moment we forget thee, we. 
forget ourselves, and the moment we shield our con- 
science from thy searching presence, we run into mis- 
chief and folly, and fall away. We need thee as a staff 
on which to lean ; we need thee as a shield and buckler 
and sword, and we need thee as the very bread and 
breath of life itself. 

We beseech thee, O Saviour Jesus, that thou wilt com- 
fort those that are in trouble. If there be any grieved, af- 
flicted and heart-broken, to whom there can come no com- 
forter, let such come in remembrance before thee to-day, 



63 BEECHEH'S PULPIT DEVOTIONS. 

for tliou canst hear the voice of the heart when the lip 
is silent. Sanctity their afflictions, and grant that they 
may not be overborne by them, but come fortli strength- 
ened and pnrilied, and made more meet for heaven. Sus- 
tain all that tind themselves girded with severe duties 
and pressures, who at times are discouraged, and sigh 
to lay down the bm*den of duty or even of life itself. 
Rebuke impatience, and teach them how, when they can 
no longer live by sight, to live by faith. Grant unto 
them more and more manliness, courage and strength, to 
carry forward the duties that are incumbent upon them. 

Teach us how to be gentle one to another; how to 
prefer each other in honor ; how to seek the things that 
belong to others' welfare and not our own alone. Teach 
us to be valiant for the defense of all things right ; and 
may we know how to carry our rights in the spirit of 
love, and to use them for the benefit of others, rather than 
for our own selfish assertion. Grant that we may not be 
intoxicated either by sympathy or by pleasure, or by 
worldly thoughts, feelings, prospects and plans. May we 
know how to do thy work in the midst of that which we 
call our own. Maj^ this whole life be to us a varied 
means of grace. Are any sick ? Wilt thou be near to 
them to-day ; may their sickness be a lesson sent from 
thee, teaching them both the frailty of their mortal 
bodies and the uncertainty of this life; and may it teach 
their hearts to go to the other life. 

We pray that thou wilt be near to all whom we love. 
Look upon the memories of those present ; upon the 
heart yearnings of those present ; upon those now whom 
our thoughts search out and would name to thee : bless 
them abundantly, separated from us as they may be, and 
far off in the uttermost places of the earth. We rejoice 



COMMUNINGS WITH JESUS. G9 

on siicli a day as this to feel that in Christ Jesus they 
are all brought home to us again, and we are one with all 
whom we love. Remember all for whom our prayers are 
desired — the poor, the outcast, the uneducated child of 
neglect, and so of vice and of crime ; remember those in 
prisons, and grant we pray that they may not be made 
worse by punishment, but rather healed of evil and 
led to right ways. Remember the sick and the infirm ; 
all that are in any way divested of the privileges of life.. 
O grant that all classes and conditions of men may come 
up in remembrance before thee. 

Eemember all the oppressed places of the earth in their 
Y»'ea::^ness5 and in their destruction. And we beseech thee 
that those that are in priestly authority or in civil power, 
who employ their high prerogatives to oppress — may 
they be converted from the errors of their ways, or may 
they be made a mark of God's signal punishment and 
taken away, for the earth doth wait for its salvation. 
Thou hast promised that the day should come, and the 
highway of the Lord should be cast up, upon which the 
ransomed of the Lord shall return and come to Zion 
with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads. Now 
therefore we beseech thee, O thou that art to lead this 
earth forward through endless circles emancipated and 
glorified — the earth that for all its crying, for its groaning 
and its sorrows in days past, shall yet chant choral thanks 
out of joyful hearts, and with purity before thee round 
in all its circuits — O Lord, thou that art to lead forth this 
world and give it such joy and voice of song, we beseech 
thee that thou wilt make bare thine arm, show thy 
presence, and convince thy people that thou art at work, 
though hidden under forms of confusion. Though thou 
soundetli in revolutions as if it were the voice of men or 



10 beecher's pulpit devotions. 

of war, yet may we know how to beliold Jehovah upon 
the storm, and see thee controlling all the elements of 
misrule, and out of evil still educing good. Why is not 
the time at hand ? Ilavenot the nations drunk the wine 
of thy wrath long enough ? Is not the day of redemp- 
tion and of victory come ? We beseech thee, cut short 
thy delay and tarry not ; come forth out of thy pavilion, 
O thou for whom the ages wait : and when the whole 
earth shall have been redeemed, whether we be here or 
whether we be with thee in heaven, we will give the 
praise of our salvation and of its salvation, to the Father, 
the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen. 



CHURCH ADDITIONS. 



Sabbath Morning. 

DT VOCATION. 

We thank thee, our Father, that we are spared and brought hither to see 
each other in fellowship of joy, and that with gladness of heart wo may 
look up and speak to thee, thou that art serene in love, thou that art full 
of blessing. And we implore thy benediction upon ourselves individually 
and upon this whole congregation ; that thou wUt make thy mercies suit- 
able to the wants of each one. Grant to us all, that we may dwell together 
in heavenly places indeed ; and wilt thou command that the light may 
shine forth from thy word upon our heart. Drive such cares and intrusive 
troubles away as interfere with our worship ; bless the meditations of our 
heart ; inspire us to pray unto thee in the sweetest communion of faith 
and love ; assist us when with gladness we sing together before thee, and 
grant that all the services of the sanctuary, and the experience and service 
of our several homes may, through all the hours of the day, be blessed to 
us, for Christ's sake. Amen. 

BEFORE SERMON. 

O Lord, out heavenly Father, thou hast taught us not 
to live by the body, but by the soul. Thou hast taught 
us not alone to value the things which the body can see 
and which are the results of its senses, but hast opened 
to us from within the limit of invisible qualities, and 
taught us that there is a life within this substance and 
material. Thou hast taught us of truth, of love, of faith, 
and of a communicable joy of God. Thou hast stretched 
ont the lines and boundary of time, and interpreted to 
us the immortal life of the blessed. Thou hast caused 



12 

all tlie sweet siglits of heaven, and all tlie clioirs of its 
joj-making saints, to come before us in solemn vision. 
Thou hast held those things, not at every day and horn- 
to our sight, lest we should forget the duties that belong 
to us here, and yet, at times, they have come through 
tlie ear to discouraged hearts. Thou hast revealed to us 
invisible things, things unknown to mortal sense, so as to 
be more substantial .than the things which the senses 
could recognize. We thank thee, that now we have 
abiding faith in thee, and everlasting companionship. 
Nor is this a feeble thought or a poem of the imagina- 
tion, though thou hast sanctified our imaginations to 
apprehend these things. Blessed be thy name, that thou 
hast cau-sed a thought of God, present with his people, to 
grow" more and more plain and familiar, and more and 
more real and glorious to us ; and vritli a ripened under- 
standing, with liberty of conscience, and with largeness 
of moral being, w^e have lost nothing of the sense of thy 
presence, but gained rather, and we stand confirmed, 
rooted and grounded in Christ Jesus, as ever present with 
his people. 

We thank thee that thou art making thy divine pity 
to appear to men, that one and another ai'e continually 
being gathered by the hand of God from out of the midst 
of worldly influences. We thank thee this morning that 
thou hast permitted so many to stand up in the midst of 
their brethren, not to testify how good they are, but how 
good God is to their souls — not to testify that they have 
attained to saintship, but to bear witness that they, like 
us, have found the sin-sickness of their souls, and have 
found also the great physician ; and that they now be?ir 
gratefully his name upon them, and desire to be recog- 
nized by their fellows-men as disciples of Christ Jesus in 



CHUKCH ADDITIONS. 73 

the beginning of tlieir Christian experience. And in the 
continuance of their experience, in those that are of a 
long time hoping in thee secretly, we beseech thee that 
they may have thy divine guardianship and blessing. 
Teach them what things are right, and true, and good ; 
what things to be desired and what rejected; what 
things to be prayed for and what to be left submissively 
to thy providence. 

O Lord, so guide them that they may never stand as 
low as now. May their hearts ascend ; give them never 
so little light as now ; fulfill to them the declaration that 
the path of the just is as the light that shineth brighter 
and brighter unto the perfect day. And may the prayers 
and cheerful sympathies of thy servants here surround 
them. How great a company is tbere before thee of 
witnesses ! How many hearts bear witness this morning ! 
Are there not many that can be carried back by this 
occasion to that joyful day when they, too, were publicly 
affianced unto God. 

Thou hast made us to be — all of us — a part of that 
great company which are rejoicing night and day 
before thee in heaven. We are yet held thitherward 
by the restraints of these mortal bodies, but not long. 
ISTor are we really divided ; we are of them of whom the 
whole family is named, some in heaven and some upon 
earth. Thou art making the commerce rapid ; thou art 
sending tents thitherward' not a few continually ; and 
blessed be thy name, thou hast declared to us that tliy 
ministering spirits already minl^^ter to the heirs of salva- 
tion likewise, and the one broaj wing of divine protec- 
tion and care is spread over all in heaven and upon 
earth, and we rest in the bosom of thy love. Thou that 
dwellest in the infinite realm, thou whose nature doth 

4 



74 beecher's ruLPiT devotions. 

transcend all power of our conception, we adore thee as 
the universal father, the everlasting God, the blessed 
rewarder of all those that by faith and patience are 
brought home. 

We beseech thee, if there are any this morning that 
have at all lost the gift of vision, the sense of love, 
upon whose hearts no longer are played the melodies 
of heaven, O Lord grant that their harps may be strung 
again. Lift them up from out of the dust, and bring 
them back from their decline and indifference; blow 
away all those chilling winds and those mists that hide 
their vision. If there are any of them that have been 
called to walk in slippery places, and even have fallen, 
have mercy upon them ; may thev be penitent for their 
transgressions, and know how, though they bewail their 
sin, to have hope in the sparing mercy of Jesus Christ. 
And we beseech thee that none may make themselves 
castaways because they have stumbled and because they 
have done wrong ; let none count themselves unworthy 
of eternal life ; bring them back, thou Shepherd of the 
flock, that goeth out to seek and to save the lost. O do 
thine oflSce-work in our midst in behalf of any that are 
in peril, for they are thine and bear thy name and have 
been loved by thee and borne through many years ; and 
now be not weary, we beseech thee, of thy work, nor cast 
them forth, though they count themselves unworthy. 
Do not forget them as they forget thee. 

Are there any in circumstances of trouble and afflic- 
tion, that need the sunshine of heaven and the presence 
of God to strengthen and comfort them ? O be pleased, 
according to all thy mercies, according to that great and 
wondrous disposition of sympathy and love which thou 
hast, be pleased to draw near to such and succor them, 



CHURCH ADDITIONS. 15 

that they may not feel that thou art a God afar off, but 
a being to help in time of need, that they may turn to 
other men that are like them and proclaim what God 
hath done for them. Glorify thy name in such. Are 
there those in thy presence this morning that come with 
arguments of thanksgiving and with lessons of praise? 
Be pleased, O God, to hear that which they now offer up, 
though silent. Thoughts speak louder in the ear of 
God, than men's words can speak ; the heart is heard 
throughout the universe, and all yearnings, and all 
desires of truth and of love within, speak forth evermore 
into the ear of God. We beseech thee, that thou wilt 
accept our thanks, our gratitude, our love, our desire of 
obedience, and our offerings of repentance for past mis- 
conduct. We commit ourselves to thine hand, O Lord 
God of our salvation, praying that thou wouldst do 
exceeding abundantly more for us than we ask or 
think. 

Remember the young that are in our presence. Bless - 
the parents that are endeavoring to rear up a generation 
to fear and serve God. Bless those that are as teachers 
who are endeavoring to co-operate with parents in the 
religious instruction of their children. Bless, we beseech 
thee, those that are coming forth out of infancy into 
youth, may they not be imperiled in virtue ; and 
those that are emerging from youth into manhood, we 
pray that they may not be tempted more than they can 
bear, but may they walk from youth to manhood with 
honor unclouded, consecrating the morning of life to 
virtue and religion ; may more of such dwell under our 
roofs, may peace abide in our households, and may there 
be more and more coming from the altar of the family 
to the altar of the church, to bear public witness to the 



76 BEECHER's pulpit BEVOTIOIirS. 

fidelity of the teaching of their parents. Bless ns in the 
further work, labor, and joy of the sanctuary ; and pre- 
pare us for all its sweet and solemn services ; be with ns 
while we live, and grant that thus we may be with thee 
in eternal life, and we will give the praise to Father, 
Bon, and Spirit. Amen. 



SACRAMENTAL SEASON. 



Sabbath Morning, 



INYOCATIOK". 



"We rejoice that thou hast caused the sun to know its day and bound 
and duty to shine. Thou that art the Sun of righteousness, more 
glorious and more faithful and fuller of blessed truth, arise upon us with 
healing in thy beams, chasing away the darkness of unbelief, the clouds 
of doubt and fear; and grant unto us that sweet light by which we may 
know how to go forth and find whatever thing is needful for us to-day in 
that spiritual realm. Open our eyes upon the wondrous truths of thy 
word ; grant that we may no longer be left to interpret the spiritual by 
carnal reasonings. Give us that breathing and inspiration, that presence 
and brooding influence of thine own self, that shall lead us by spiritual 
teaching into spiritual truths. Accept the offering of worship; accept the 
song of fellowship and praise ; accept all our devout meditations ; all our 
aspirations both excite and guide ; and grant that every thing this day may 
be seemly before thee, and profitable to us; and so glorify the name of our 
Saviour. We ask it in that blessed name. Amen. 

BEFORE SERMON. 

We draw near to thee, thou that art eternal and un- 
searchable, taking hold of Jesus our Saviour, and learn- 
ing how to understand thee by understanding him. 
We adore thee in all that we understand. Thy great- 
ness is unsearchable, but all is not unsought and 
unsearched that is in thee ; and thou hast shown toward 
us in thy dealings, and thou hast exj)]ained by thy words, 
enough for our souls' admiration and love— enough to 
overwhelm us with wonder when we behold thy power, 



78 

and see tlie greatness of thy being, l^ot that we can take 
it in, but in so far as we can trace it and see how like 
an ocean it leaves its shores and goes off endlessly 
beyond all voyaging of thought, we are amazed ; we 
are baffled ; we sink into insignificance before thee. 

We marvel that thou shouldst take note of such as 
we are; we are as but worms before thee, as motes 
of the very dust. And this is the beginning of our 
wonder, when thou dost lift thyself up in all the majesty 
and grandeur of thy being to interpret to us that it 
is thy nature,-— that which makes thee God and not 
man ; — ^that thou dost concern thyself in the least things 
and in the poorest, and in that which is farthest away 
from thee and most needy; that thou art a nursing 
God, that thou art an everlasting Father, that thou dost 
not outgrow nor permit ns to outgrow this tender 
relationship between the infinite supplies of divine 
superiority and the infinite needs of our inferiority ; and 
we stand, not because we were made to stand alone, bnt 
because we are made to stand in God ; and we live 
till this time, not because we have found out a way of in- 
dependence safe and secure, but because by the leading 
of thine own hand we have been brought safely through 
every danger to this state of blessedness which we feel 
to-day. 

How good and how pleasant it is to come together 
this morning ; not so bright in the sky is the sun that 
shines to-day, traveling in the greatness of his strength, 
and filling all the wide firmament with his gladness, as is 
our joy and our brightness and our gladness coming into 
fellowship to-day in this place. Thou hast taught us to 
love each other, yea, even without name and without 
personal knowledge ; thou hast taught our hearts to go 



SACRAMENTAL BEASON. 79 

fortli and to greet every living thing that Kke us suffers, 
or loves, or yearns, or aspires ; that needs and seeks in 
God, that finds and loves the hand that fulfills its necessi- 
ties. And thou hast brought us in this enclasping love 
together to-day. We look upon each other with strange 
surprise. What treasure have we in each other's hearts ! 
What gladness anu ^^r>th of joy ! These are estates in- 
deed for which we wait ; but death shall give them to us. 

We that here walk in tears ; we that walk in manifold 
imperfections together ; we that sing both hoarsely and 
discordantly, we are heirs of a common glorification ; we 
are making haste, casting our burdens and our faults, 
outliving our vain desires and reaching up with a divine 
impulse. We are going to that crowd of common meet- 
ino; where we shall be in the imao^e of God, and harmo- 
nize with each other by the perfect purities of love. 
We anticipate it, we believe in it, we desire to feel 
already the ground swell of the eternal world lifting us up^ 
We desire to feel that this is not a vain and fantastic 
thing, that by the blood of Christ Jesus we are united 
together. 

May we evermore weep with those that weep, and bear 
them up in their sorrow, and rejoice with those that 
rejoice, delivering ourselves and themselves from narrow 
selfishness of joy. May we live together ; and may we 
strive to cast all that is good as so many brands in the 
fire, and may the common light and common warmth 
thereof be our heritage of joy together; an(J may we 
learn to feel that every thing that stands solitary in our 
own individual experience, is of so much power to 
another ; and that all things, even the most secret and 
sacred, when God shall bring them out of privacy into 
the large union and fellowship of final love, shall be 



80 beecher's pulpit devotions. 

made richer and more glorious. And may we search out 
this truth, even in this life by the light of thy Spirit, 
the mystic love of Christ, and his union to his people, 
and their union to each other. 

And we beseech thee, as we sit to-day and sing 
together, that not our voices alone may mingle and go 
up in torrent of song, but O id^'_ our hearts find each 
other; may we feel a unity of zeal and gladness. 

And now may we be enkindled to pray for others, and 
not forever selfishly for ourselves, and may we learn to 
take into our sympathies largely the wants of others. 
May we feel for them, and think for them, and yearn for 
them, and live for them. Teach us at last the beginning 
of divine love, to use ourselves not for ourselves but for 
others. Teach us to find a coming back from that 
which we have given to others of joy, or purity, or good- 
ness of any kind. And we beseech thee that we may 
more and more interpret the spirit of Christ, the mean- 
ing of his life, the meaning of his death, and the meaning 
of his everlasting life in heaven. 

O, our Father, we are not only thy children, but we 
are very young children. We mark and know our im- 
maturity by our own inexperience, by our want of those 
qualities that should mark those that are joined to thee. 
Be pleased, our Father, to bless us, taking thy measure 
of benefaction not from our want, still less from any 
desire or persuasion of ourselves, but taking it from thine 
own nature, from the royalty of thy love, from the won- 
derfulness of thy generosity, and bless us in such a way 
as God loves to bless. O how rich are we that stand in 
the grace of God, not in our own work or attainment, 
nor any measure of our own desert. This is what we 
delight in. This is that which we daily rejoice in, that 



SACEA]srE:>n:'AL season. 81 

we do not receive things for our own sake, but all for the 
sweet sake of Christ. We rejoice in him that so per- 
fumes our life, that so gives value to the meanest things, 
that leaves the savor of a heavenly name and spirit upon 
things that otherwise would seem dry and insipid to us. 

Now, what motives are lacking in our condition, we 
find descending from thee that art high above all earthly 
things. What time denies us, thou givest ; what our re- 
lationships do not afford, this all comprehending relation- 
ship with thee yieldest. Thou art the harvest-field in 
which we sow and in v/hich we reap ; thou art the tower 
into which we run ; thou art our sun by day and our star 
by night, that bright and rising star of morning hope ; 
thou art bread and water to us ; thou art staff and stay, 
thou art medicine and food ; thou art guidance ; thou art 
championship ; thou art teacher ; thou art friend, brother ; 
thou art sister, father and mother — all things to all men, 
and all in all. Our being is comprehended in thine ; in 
thee we live, and move, and have our being ; blessed be 
the name of the Lord. 

And now we beseech thee, O our Father, give us to-day 
in one gift all gifts, the consciousness of thine own 
presence ; the sense that thou art thinking of us, and the 
preciousness of thy thoughts, thine individual presence 
to us according to our own individual wants ; and may 
we, long before we are permitted to touch the sacred 
symbols that are before us in everlasting consecration — 
may we begin to commune with thee, and to take of thy 
life, to take of thee, by thought and faith and affection. 
Thus may we live to-day and to-morrow and each day 
and every year, until at last, the last year shall come, 
which, borne as a chariot, shall carry us. speedily to our 
home in heaven ; and there, when we behold thee, not 

4* 



82 beecher's pulpit devotions. 

all the estate of tliy glory nor the surrounding of in- 
numerable spirits, shall separate us or daunt us for one 
single moment ; but we will cast our crown at thy feet 
and give to thy adorable name. Father, Son, and Spirit, 
the praise of our salvation. Amen. 



UNION WITH CHRIST. 



Evening Prayer, 



AFTER COMMUNION. 



"We draw near to thee, O our Redeemer, wlio dost 
move in the living way of love — thou who hast made 
thyself to be the gate. Thy heart opens even to us, and 
through that we walk unabashed before God. We 
rejoice we know something now of what is wrapped up 
in those words, that name, God ; the glory, the joy, the 
purity, the depth, the power of love ; its power for hap- 
piness, for restoration, for life-giving confidence. All 
that we need is in thee; all that makes our life flows 
from thee; in thee we live, and move, and have our 
being, and we desire in the full appreciation and con- 
fidence of this truth to walk for evermore as the children 
of God. 

We are not, O Lawgiver^ thy slaves ; we are no longer 
the servants of sin ; we are by adoption Christ's freemen ; 
we are his brethren ; we are heirs together with him, 
and stand before God even as Christ stands, forever 
beloved. And now we beseech thee that this may not 
be written in the book, and consulted by reading at 
times, but may thi§ be written in the fleshly table of our 
heart. Grant that this sense of our connection with the 
eternal world, especially of our connection so endearing 



84 

with Jesus Christ — grant that this divine nnion may be 
ever present with ns ; may we be sustained by it, con- 
verted, inspired, cured. 

We ourselves are nothing. If thou wert to mark our 
nature and take account of our attainments, there is 
nothing to be said. It is folly even to look at us with 
any thought of excellence. Our hope is in thee. It is 
to be in God, to take up the rudiments of being, and 
revolving them in the midst of thine own nature and 
power, to bring forth final excellence out of such rude 
beginnings. O Lord, our God, we beseech thee that we 
may not for a moment endeavor to stand and find rest 
in any consciousness of our own excellence. May we 
make haste to own to ourselves the overwhelmiDg imper- 
fections of our life, and yet may we see how all our 
powers are inchoate ; may we see how all the beginnings 
of our actions are rude and imperfect ; may we see how 
far short we come in every point from the fullness of the 
divine intent in that respect, and how our whole charac- 
ter stands and must stand to the very end incomplete 
before thee. 

May we, therefore, know from henceforth the divine les- 
son of thy love, thy goodness, thy compassion, and mercy, 
as the counterpart of our significant imperfection and 
sinfulness. May all our hope be in God ; may we cease 
the folly of lingering and looking elsewhere ; at last, may 
we forget self and think of God. ^ May we look away 
from all our consciousness, from our various endeavors, 
and from fretful resolutions that vex and torment us, from 
the whole round and fever of our inward life ; may we 
look away from all that is mean and little and insuflS- 
cient in ourselves, upon which we have so long brooded, 
and from which we have tried to extract some comfort : 



UNION WITH CHRIST. 85 

and behold the glory of God, that fills the heavens and 
that overspreads the earth, and in thee, by joy, by admi- 
ration, by trust, by love, may we begin to find some 
heart-rest, and may we take onr consolation not in 
what we are, but in what we behold. May we look up 
into the face of Jesus Christ, and since he chooses to call 
himself ours, may we not thwart the divine enunciation 
nor in any way withstand the blessed faith by unbelief, 
but rejoice with exceeding great joy, that this is the 
nature of God, to take up such as we are, to love them, 
to bear them, to carry them forward with everlasting 
strength, until at length they shall be purified and estab- 
lished in heaven. 

O Lord, restore to any that have lost it, the savor of 
this blessed view of Christ ; give the clearness and the 
fullness of it to those that see it but in part and linger- 
ingly ; and reveal thyself to those that never beheld thee 
thus clothed with glory, and standing for them. May 
every one of us desire to be clothed with thy righteous- 
ness, not with our own ; and may we stand in thy love. 
May we have this faith, that works by love, and super- 
sedes all other influences, and is mightier than all others. 
And so we beseech thee, that we may go on from day to 
day, till the trial is ended, and life closes here, to begin 
there in full vision and fruition. Wilt thou hear our 
petitions, not because we are worthy to speak unto thee, 
but for thine own name's sake. And to the Father, 
Son, and Spirit, shall be praise everlasting. Amen. 



CLOSINa PRA.YER. 

Thoit Saviour of the world, thou hast occasion to bear even with our 
knowledge. Our best things are so imperfect that thou hast to bear with 
them. Our very love is frigid, if it be measured by the golden tropic of 
heaven. The ripest fruit that hangs upon our bough, «pirit-ripened on 
earth, is yet acerb, and unfit for the heavenly garden. Thou hast occasion, 
gentle and loving and ever-blessed Grod, to carry us all as little chil- 
dren are carried. "We are ignorant, we are weak, we are stumbling all 
the time ; and yet v/e arrogate to ourselves such knowledge that we take 
one another by the throat, and cast out men that differ from us. We are 
perpetually proving one another and judging one another ; and yet, all the 
time, we are depending upon the infinite forbearance and love of God. 
Teach us, we beseech of thee, the whole lore of love — of its forbearance 
and gentleness, of its kindness and patience, of its charitableness and 
richness ; and make us to be thy dear children ; and work out in us thine 
attributes ; and finally draw us, by that in us which is like thee, to the 
open arms of Jesus, and to the bosom of our heavenly home, where we 
will praise thee, Father, Son and Spirit. Amen. 



BAPTISMAL SERVICE. 



Sabbath Morning. 

We rejoice, our heavenly Father^ when we behold the 
faces of these dear children — for they are as doors to 
Thee, and through them we enter heaven and have 
some conception of thy fatherhood. Thpu that dwellest 
in eternity, that spannest the heavens with thine hand, 
and layest the foundations of the earth, that callest all 
the stars by name and givest them their appointed 
circuit, and sittest serene in the immensity of universal 
affairs, art God over all blessed forever; and yet, such 
is thy nature that thou art delighted with these little 
ones, and art saying, " Suffer them to come unto me, and 
forbid them not." 

In this announcement from the skies we see the 
sweetness and the tenderness of thy loving nature to 
cheer and to encourage us. Surely thou art to be the 
soul's delight, when, set free from the obstructions of this 
mortal life, leaving the shell and the nest behind, we 
stretch our wings and fly up unto thee and see thee as 
thou art. K"ot through the interpretation of laws, nor of 
nature, nor of man, but as thou art we shall behold thee. 
We shall joy and rejoice in thee for evermore, and all 
the soul shall be happy ; every thought and feeling and 
purpose shall be filled and overflowing with thy divine 
excellence. We rejoice that thou hast a home appointed 



88 

for tliine own, now dispersed, apparently wind-blown and 
storm-beaten up and down through all the w^ays of life. 
Thou art gathering them, thou art sending forth death as 
a nurse to collect and bring thy children home through 
sleep to thee, and they shall all be housed and stored 
where there is no more storm or trouble for evermore. 
As when our children are sick, we patiently and eagerly 
care for them, so dost thou care for us : " like as a father 
pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear 
him." As we make haste to every cry of want, so dost 
thou ; thine ear is ever open ; thou hearest us when we 
cry, to relieve and to bless. 

We rejoice, O God, in thy paternity ; we do not under- 
take to explore its bounds nor to know its intimate work- 
ings ; it is enough for us that thou art disclosed as a 
Father, infinite in love, perfect in justice, everlasting and 
immutable in truth — ^holy, just, and good. We trust 
thee ; we adore thee in all those inapproachable elements, 
in all those attributes which dawn upon our sight, but 
run away in their proportions beyond the region of 
thought. 

In all those things that evermore make thee mighty 
and infinite as God, we adore thee; but, rising in the 
stature of our minds, as fast as we come to a better 
knowledge, as fast as we bring in elements to our own 
comprehension, we change adoration into love : and so 
we adore thee for the vast and unrivaled extent of grand- 
eur which plays upon the imagination and fills the 
whole soul with awe and fear and reverence; but all the 
disclosures that thou hast made, the words thou hast 
spoken, and the puttings forth of thy nature on every 
side — these draw us to thee in the sweetest bonds. We 
confide in thee ; we lean upon thee ; we rest our souls in 



BAPTLSJVfAL SERVICE. 89 

thee. Whom have we in heaven but thee, who is there 
upon earth that we can desire beside thee or in compari- 
son with thee ? Thou art great in heaven ; thou art 
great upon the earth ; thou dost not stand in thy great- 
ness upon the recognition of any. Though all men forget 
thee, though all men should bow down to idols, still thou 
art God over all, filling immensity, great beyond all 
thought, or conception, or bounds. 

Now, O Lord, we beseech thee that we may not alone 
have in the fervor of devotion these reverent and loving 
thoughts, but grant that we may be able to walk with 
thee evermore in all our afikirs and be undisturbed ; that 
we may not be vexed by the harassing of care and 
trouble in our own hearts ; fliat we may not be disturbed 
in our social relations, in the ten thousand collisions and 
threats of feverish life ; that we may not be alarmed in 
the mutations of outward affairs, nor cast up and down. 
Grant that we may not be as ships, ever changing with 
the winds and waves of the sea, but rather may we be as 
the cedars of Lebanon, that stand from generation to gen- 
eration nnmoved and unmovable. 

Grant that our confidence may be in God and not in 
man, nor in ourselves. We bring to thee all our affairs ; 
we are willing to be under thee the conductors of them ; 
we are willing to be thy stewards; we are ^il^^^g ^^ 
labor, to bear, and to suffer unto the end. We will 
endure whatever in thy providence is brought upon us, 
but we desire to feel that there is a thought wider and 
clearer than our wisest thought — a purpose that over- 
rules the purposes of men^ — a providence that includes in 
it greater good for us than we can plan for ourselves. 
Whatever may seem to be the courses of things, thou 
art guiding the earth, and thou art guiding the nations 



90 beecher's pulpit devotions. 

of the earth, and thou wilt bring all things to pass that 
shall establish peace upon justice, and universal liberty 
upon equity, and all nations shall see the salvation of 
God. 

And now. Lord, we commend to thee these dear 
children that have been brought and offered up in con- 
secration. Deliver these parents from superstitious re- 
liance upon outward form that is but significant of an 
inward consecration. May the purpose of their heart, 
which they have formed to-day, abide with them and be 
as a rudder in the household, a discipline, an education, 
an example, a care. May we accept, also, the charge as 
brethren in one household of faith which is brought 
to us ; may we sympathize with each other in the family, 
and in the care and trouble of rearing our children. 

We pray that thou wilt remember all that have brought 
their children in days past — all that have brought 
them before thee in the sanctuary and the closet, any- 
where in the faith of Christ have humbly attempted to 
educate their children to thee. We beseech thee that 
thou wilt bless their children ; may they grow up in 
purity, and if tempted, be able to resist temptation ; may 
they be able to break through every snare, and go forth 
from Christian youth to Christian manhood. Help 
parents that are tried ; whose patience is tried, who are 
in distress of heart respecting their household, in any 
wise whatsoever ; may they find that neglecting faith is 
cause of more trouble, and may they be able to cast their 
care upon the Lord, who careth for them. 

Thou, Everlasting Strength, hast set thyself forth 
to bear our burdens. May we bear thy cross, and 
bearing that, find there is nothing else to bear; and 
touching that cross, find that instead of taking away our 



BAPTISMAL SERVICE. 91 

strength, it adds tlirreto. Give us faith for dartness, 
for trouble, for sorrow, for bereavement, for disappoint- 
ment ; give US a faith that will abide though the earth 
itself should pass away — a faith for living, a faith for 
dying. 

Grant, we beseech of thee, O Lord God, that when 
we shall have passed through these years of uninterpreted 
sorrows and cares, and gone through all the instrumen- 
talities by which thou art in thy school educating us, and 
we have come to the end, the appointed bound, O 
grant that then we may not be afraid to venture further ; 
may we find ourselves mightily lifted up by the Spirit, 
borne upward to thy very presence ; and standing in Zion 
and before God, may we be satisfied and undisappointed 
and unterrified ; may we stand to behold him whom our 
souls delight in, and to whom we have feebly cried; may 
we behold thee in thy glory and find ourselves welcomed 
there, saved with an everlasting salvation. And to thy 
name shall be the praise, Father, Son, and Spirit, ever- 
more. Amen. 



CLOSIXa PRATER. 

Our Father, wilt thou bless the word spoken to every one ; may it go 
with power not human, but divine. Make us willing workers, patient 
workers, persevering workers. May we desire to add to every grace the 
next, or to each grace in a lower form the next highest form. May we 
have such a comprehensive view of how much there is to need our pecu- 
liar care, and all the successive stages and evolutions of it, that we might 
leave the follies of those that count themselves perfected and of those 
that fchink they have already attained perfection, and that we may apply 
ourselves with diligence and patience, and that unto the very end that 
Christ may be formed in us the hope of glory. Tliis is thy work. We 
do not desire through indolence to rest upon thy sovereignty, yet we 
gratefully recognize it as high above our weakness; high above the frost is 
thy sun, high above the sky is thy summer ; high above our impotence is 
thy power, and high above our ignorance is thy bright, far-seeing wisdom 
and goodness, and our hope is in thee. Deliver us, we beseech of thee, 
Lord our God, thou in whom we have trusted, and deliver us unto the end 
that finally we may be saved, which we ask for Christ's sake. Amen. 



GROWTH m GRACE. 



SabhatTi Morning. 

rSTYOCATION. 

Our Father I we are fhy children, come home this morning to the place 
of invitation, th6 place made sacred by the fulfillment of thy promises ten 
thousand times to us. Thou hast made our wants to grow, that thou 
mayest have the privilege every day of supplying them, and that we might 
be brought into the sweetest connection with thee, by taking, day by day, 
our daily bread from thine hand. We come to-day, then, to take what 
thou shalt give us; and as thou art our bread and the water of life, the 
Hfe, the breath, the all in all, grant us thyself and we are supplied. 
Help us to read thy word, to sing thy praises, to commune with thee in 
prayer, to speak and to hear from thee. We ask it for Christ's sake. 
Amen. 

BEFORE SERMON. 

"We ttank thee, that we are again brought to the house 
of prayer ; and that we are permitted, our Father, to make 
known our wants, not because thou needest to be told ; 
thou knowest before we want what we shall need ; and 
our own uneasiness, that does not yet even interpret 
what the trouble is, is well understood by thee, before 
whom the thoughts and the intents of the heart are ever 
open. But thou hast made it to be pleasant and to be 
profitable to us to ask, and consciously to receive in ask- 
ing, the things which we need. Thou hast made us to be 



94 beecher's pulpit devotioxs. 

like thee not only, but to be thj children ; and all the 
offices of duty are made to bring us around about thee, 
and into personal intercourse with thee ; and we rejoice 
in thee, every one. We would not pluck our blessings 
from thee as men pluck fruit from trees which they never 
planted. We desire so to receive our mercies, as that 
from every taking, we shall think of thee, and feel 
warmth and gratitude to thee ; for all the things that do 
now attend upon our perverted natures are making us 
earthly, and are sending us aside to the Creation instead 
of to the Creator. 

And we desire evermore to be made so conscious of our 
dependence upon thee, and of the endearing and ennobling 
relations that there are between us, that we shall be 
turned toward thee by the things that are made and 
which we use day by day. We have become selfish ; we 
have perverted our best powers ; we have not given to 
ourselves that growth which belongs to our nature. We 
have pursued the things in life which thou hast forbid- 
den ; we have left neglected and unsearched the things 
which thou hast commanded; and thou beholdest us 
altogether sinful, and stained in every part. 

We need forgiveness ; we need divine forbearance ; we 
need a new creation ; we need to be inspired by the energy 
of thy mind, that never faints, and never is weary. 
Blessed be thy name that thou art our watch, our guide ; 
thou art our Captain in the hour of conflict. Thou, who 
art in the night the bright and morning star, and in the 
day the sun of righteousness ; thou art to us the shadow 
of a rock in a weary land — our tower, into which we run 
when pursued ; our Saviour, our pavilion, where we can 
hide until the storm be overpast. What is there that we 
know of grace, or purity, or comfort, or strength in things 



GROWTH IN GEACE. 95 

of earth, that thou hast not selected them and called 
them by their name ; so that we can neither by day nor 
by night touch any thing that is made of thee, that it hath 
not some message impressed upon it from thee to us. 
All things are speaking to us of God, if we were not 
deaf and would not hear. We pray, O Lord, that thou 
wilt grant that the experience, little though it be, of our 
love and joy in thee in time past, may not fade out, but 
rather augment; grant, we beseech of thee, that the 
things which aforetime have held us away from thee, 
may now lead us more closely to thee. 

We thank thee for our blessings. Often we have per- 
verted them ; the gift was good, except in the using ; 
and now we pray that thou wilt send us the blessings 
that we need, and with them thy grace, by which we 
shall be able to employ them aright. May we be enabled 
to develop ourselves by all the benefactions of thy provi- 
dence ; may we not grow selfish by prosperity, nor hard 
by reason of power and influence. May we not grow 
conceited, because tliy light shines in our path to teach 
us where to go. When we are strengthened of God, may 
we not feel that we are independent of thee ; may we 
rejoice in all our affections, and may we not make idols 
of the things which w^e love. May we learn to love 
all our friends, and to hold all our friendships in the 
light of the eternal world ; — our children, our brothers, 
and our sisters, our companions and friends of every 
name, may they not be as roots that hold on to this soil 
and earth, but rather as blossoms that always lie with 
bosom open to the light and the air of heaven. 

And in the midst of these things, may we not only 
not be held down and back, but rather strengthened 
to rise up and to go forward. May we learn to 



96 beecher's pulpit devotions. 

bear with one another, each his brother's burden ; may 
we labor to alleviate each other's cares ; may we 
seek to live not selfishly, but grant that we may take 
hold the one of another's hand, remembering that we are 
members one of another, and so may the law of love be 
more and more exemplified in our disposition and in our 
outward life. 

May we desire to be pure. May we desire to be bene- 
volent ; may our yearnings be for these things. May we 
not leave it to the coercion of daily duty, but may our 
yearnings be for that life in our souls that is in thine. 
Thou art love ; and whilst upon earth, Blessed Jesus, 
thou didst go about doing good, and unto the end ; may 
that example quicken and strengthen and comfort us. 

"We pray that thou wilt bless those that are gathered 
together, according to their several wants. Thou knowest 
every one; all the secret temptation, the secret sorrow, 
the secret weakness, the perplexity, the darkness of mind, 
the foreboding sadness, the remembered grief, the antici- 
pated trouble — all things are naked and open before 
thee with whom we have to do ; and as thou causest the 
clouds to rain down of thy abundance, so that all the 
myriads of things that need the showers do receive their 
portion in due season, so grant, we beseech thee, that 
thy blessings may come down to this congregation, and 
every one may find that God is thinking of him. May 
every one feel, to-day, that some heavenly influence hath 
met and blest him. 

Be with all those that are separated from us, but who 
belong to us, wherever they may be. If sickness detains 
them, or journeying, or residence afar off, or whatever 
other separation or hindrance, still may we to-day feel 
that we are united to Christ ; and as we rise in sacred 



GEOWTH 12^ GRACE. 97 

song, in the fellowship of love and worship, or in com- 
munings and meditations, by as much as we come near 
to thee, may we feel that we are coming near to those 
that are dear to us, and so evermore on earth may we 
have premonitions of that blessedness which awaits us in 
heaven, where we shall all be united one to another, 
because to thee. On earth may it begin, so that disper- 
sions and separations shall have no power to make voids 
between us, but unite us by faith in Christ even to 
those that are his disciples here upon earth. Glorify 
thyself in the truth; glorify thyself, we beseech thee, in 
this land by the events that are transpiring. Wilt thou 
advance the cause of justice and of truth ; may the whole 
world receive thy blessing, which hath so long been 
delayed ; at last, O grant that the glory of the Lord may 
shine over all the world, and the daylight of heaven 
come ; and to thy name shall be the praise, Father, Son, 
and Spirit. Amen. 



CLOSIXa PRATER. 

Our heavenly Father, we beseech of thee that thou wilt follow the word 
spoken, by the Holy Spirit upon the hearts of men, that the truth may 
fall therein as seed into good ground. Inchne them to thy ways, that 
they may learn those ways. Make them hungry, and then thou wilt be 
bread sweet to their taste ; make them thirsty, and then they will seize 
the water of life. When prostrate by thine hand, console them, that they 
may hail the life that brings them forth again. Cast them down wounded, 
that they may see that thou art a physician, and that they may accept the 
healing service. teach us, we beseech thee, above all other things 
how Christ may be formed in us the hope of glory. Fulfill thy promises ; 
come to us, Jesus ; come and speak with us, come and abide with us. 
Go not forth with the twihght; go not forth with the morning; dweL 
with us ; and when at last summoned we come forth out of this taber- 
nacle, leave us not nor forsake us; but may our first consciousness be, 
when we awake, that we are in thy likeness; that we are in thy kingdom ; 
that we are in thy presence, received and saved with an everlasting 
salvation; and to thy name shall be the praise, Father, Son, and Spirits 
evermore. Amen. 



FOR A HIGHER LIFE. 



AN EVE>TING PRATER. 



"We rejoice, O Lord our God, that thou art great, and 
needest not that any one should draw near to augment 
thy glory ; yet by reason of thine heart, thou dost need 
even us, and thou dost bend toward us even as a father 
toward his children. We rejoice that thy greatness 
doth not separate thee from thy creatures. We rejoice 
that perfect purity, which we know nothing of in this 
life, is revealed to us in thee ; not as hating and despis- 
ing the impure, but as full of pity and full of mercy, g-nd 
full of patient forbearance and full of all curative com- 
fort. And we rejoice that such is thy nature, and that 
thou art royal in thy mercies. Thou art God over all, 
blessed forever, because thou art good unto all, and for- 
ever blessing. 

And now we desire to unite the acclamation of our 
voice, and the consent of our heart, and the full strength 
of our desire, to those that praise thee in heaven. We 
give ascriptions of praise to thee ; we glory in thy 
majesty, and in the grandeur of thy being. We rejoice 
in thy supremacy, and that we are beneath thy sway. 
We rejoice in thy goodness, and while we adore thee, we 
love thee more ; and we desire, O Lord our God, though 
with faintness of spirit and with weakness of light in the 



100 BEECHEIi's PULPIT DEVOTIONS. 

midst of temptations, in the midst of darkness and igno- 
rance, with ten thousand wavering steps, and mistakes 
innumerable, yet we desire to follow thee. Whatever 
waves roll over ns, whatever streams drive us ont of our 
path, whatever befalls ns, we come again to this one 
desire of life ; that we may follow after thee, and be con- 
formed to thine image, and become thy children indeed, 
and have an evidence that we are to have the inheritance 
of the saints in glory. 

And further we desire, O Lord onr God ! that thou wilt 
strengthen all that is good w^ithin us, and teach us how 
to put it forth. Help us to restrain whatever is evil, to 
bind it for Christ's sake and by the power of God, 
through Christ Jesus given unto us. We pray that God 
will grant unto us, that the fountain of all goodness and 
divine love may be in us. May we have those secret 
beginnings of grace ; may we learn how to chastise sel- 
fishness, how to humble pride, how to restrain every 
wayv/ard and vicious inclination that oifends against the 
purity of our souls or the peace of our fellow-men. 

And may we not take counsel of the world ; may we 
not listen to its suggestions, nor measure what is right by 
its customs alone. May we not feel that that is obedi- 
ence enough to thee which fulfills the measure of obedi- 
ence required by human laws and usages ; but may we, as 
disciples of Christ, be forever growing to something higher ; 
to something nobler in justice, truer in veracity, greater 
in honor, purer in life than that whicli is required by 
men. And so may our life be above life ; so may our path, 
though it be straight and narrow, tend speedily above 
all the lower ways of time. 

O strengthen us against temptation ; against those 
temptations that are peculiar to each of us. Thou 



FOR A HIGHER LIFE. 101 

knowest wliere the adversary most easily forces oui 
defenses ; be gracious to every one in those respects in 
which they need divine help. May those that are cap- 
tives be set free ; those that are discouraged in their 
warfare with evil,> be empowered of God ; and may all 
of us be steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the 
work of the Lord. 

We pray that we may be inspired to nobleness of life 
in the least things. May we dignify all our daily life. 
May we set such a sacredness upon every part of our life, 
as means appointed for the glorious ends of our edifica- 
tion, that nothing shall be trivial, nothing unimportant, 
and nothing dull, in all the daily round of life. 

O may Vv^e have thy presence so long as we live. 
Abandon us not when old age shall come. Whatever 
changes may intervene .or then may come upon us, 
wherever we may be, in sickness, and when weakness 
begins to take hold upon the strength of death, O Lord 
Jesus, abandon us not in the trying hour, in that grand 
passage, and in that beginning of immortality which lies 
before us all. May we not only have faith in Christ 
Jesus, but the presence of Christ consciously with us. 
May we be cheered in our weakness, may all our doubts 
as clouds be driven away, and may the bright smiling of 
thy face be as a guiding star ; and following thee, may we 
wake in heaven, at rest and glorified for evermore. And 
to thy name shall be the praise, Father, Son, and Spirit. 
Amen. 



CLOSING PRAYER. 

Grant unto us, our heavenly Father, to Hve as seeing him who is invisi- 
ble. Thus thine ancient servants went through incredible labor with 
wonderful patience and endurance, and thy servants in every age have 
achieved the mightiest victories, because they saw God where other men 
saw but void. Give us to behold thee in the largeness of thy mercy and 
goodness. Give our souls the habit of trusting thee, so that when by and 
by we need to trust, or we should die, we shall find it easy to anchor in the 
bosom of thy love. Lord God we have no reason to ask these things 
in ourselves ; we cannot pay thee ; we have done nothing why thou 
shouldst requite us thus. The reason why we ask is that it is more 
blessed to give than to receive. This is thy nature. We ask from thy 
generosity ; we ask from thy royalty. 0, thou infinitely rich, give us of thy 
riches ; thou that art infinitely strong, give us of thy strength. Our Father, 
nourish us because thou lovest thy children. And so, we beseech of thee 
give us every day to walk in the consciousness of our filial relation to 
thee, unto the very end of this life : and then, when heaven dawns, may we 
appear in our true life before thee as thou art, and be satisfied because we 
are in thine image. And to thy name shall be the praise of our salvation 
Father, Son and Spirit. Amen. 



CHRIST OUR NECESSITY AND JOT. 



Sabbath Morning. 

INYOCATIOX. 

Thou hast opened thy hand, Lord our God, and the earth doth smile 
vrith the light of thy countenance. Thy hands give forth substantial 
blessings, and thy voice reaches even unto our souls ; and we are blest in 
both. "We beseech thee, therefore, that we may recognize this morning 
that thou art the source of all our good. May we be glad in thy presence ; 
and, coming into thy temple, may we believe that here are peace and joy ; 
here is love; here communion with God and rest for the weary soul. 
Wilt thou, therefore, bless us in the exercises of our assembly. In every 
word of instruction which we shall endeavor to speak, in the reading of 
thy word, in offering up petitions and prayers, in sacred soug together, in 
our meditation, in every thing that we shall do, may we have help and 
blessing. Go with us to our homes, and may there be Sabbath in the 
household as well as in the sanctuary — the rest which thou givest unto 
thy people. We ask it for Christ's sake. Amen. 

BEFOEE SERMOX, 

"What are we, O Lord our God, that we should wor- 
ship thee? Thou dost not need our praises; thou art 
surrounded in heaven by those of nobler stature, and 
thou hast, dawning like the morning round about thee, 
glorious ones that have kept their first estate ; and thou 
hast in every part of thy heavenly domain innumerable 
spirits of just men made perfect, and there thou thyself 
dost teach the everlasting choir, and joy is their music. 
They behold thee, not with mortal eyes, nor through tlie 
veil of infirmity and passion, but as thou art ; and are 
perpetually drawn toward thee, not alone by the voice 
of praise and by sympathies, for thou art making them 



104 

like unto thee. They perform thine offices ; they go 
forth at thy word, and going to the utmost bounds and 
domain of God, are still at home with thee ; for that is 
heaven where thou art, and thou art everywhere to those 
that love thee. 

"We rejoice, O Lord Jesus, that thou art praised in 
heaven and with heavenly perfection, and that therefore 
thou dost not in this way need our praises; and yet thou 
hast taught us that wonderful and blessed truth, that 
thou dost need us ; for thou dost pray for us, tliat where 
thou art vv e may be also. We can faintly interpret what 
thou art by our own experience in this — for we know 
that it is not alone those that are our fit companions, that 
rise and stand by us, that we need, but that v/e have 
need often of the pity and love of those that are less than 
we, and that are far below us in moral stature ; and we 
believe that thus, even in these faint experiences, we 
have some conception of the majesty,' greatness, and 
grandeur, of that nature of God which leads him to need 
us and to yearn for us. We see in this the mystery of 
divine love,* which shall never by searching be found 
out — known more and more, more and more unfolding, 
never perfectly known and never exhausted — that won- 
derful love of Christ. O Lord our God, we thank thee 
for the revelation of it. We thank thee for the rest and 
the unspeakable comfort which we have in the thought 
of thee. 

If we turn to what we are, if we look to our achieve- 
ments, if we measure even our hope and aspiration, there 
is but very little satisfaction, and soon Vv^orn out. There 
is not in all the weavings of our f^mcy, in all the turningi^ 
of our thoughts, or in our daily life, enough to gratify 
us. We need God. Thou hast infinite fullness, great- 



CHRIST our. E-ECSSr;iTY AXD JOT. 105 

ness, and glory. In thee is all puriiy and goodness, all 
justice and truth ; in thee are all things that engage the 
heart, enwrap the imagination, and fire the soul with ec- 
stasy. All are born with thee and dwell with thee ; and 
thou art in thy heart sufficient for all the wants of all the 
hearts tlirougliout the desolate nniverse. O Lord our 
God ! when shall we rise to some conception of thee above 
the things tliat thou hast made? When shall we see in 
these things, but mere sjniibols and interpretations of thy 
nature, until human life shall be an ever- written gospel ; 
until nature itself shall be again the book of God to onr 
eye, as once it was to the eyes of prophets and inspired 
men. 

O Lord our God ! thou art teaching us through thy 
written word, that we may know how to understand thy 
created revelation. Grant, we beseech thee, that we may 
know the beginning of all knowledge of God, by the im- 
planted spirit of God in ns. We pray that then wilt 
cleanse our souls from the darkness of nature ; that thou 
wilt brood upon us, and bring from chaos out of the 
furnace of creation all-ordered things. If there are those 
in th}^ presence that are wistfully looking tov/ard the 
East, who long to see some light, O Lord Jesus ! thou 
briglit and morning star, dawn upon them. 

If there are others present that have seen thee, that 
have known thee in times past, bnt who have lost the 
sweetness of early experience, who have but fitful gleams 
and rejoicings, O Lord Jesus ! rise upon them as a sun 
of righteousness, with healing in thy beams, and give them 
daylight, full, bright and serene. If there are those that 
look at themselves more than they look at God, and are 
bereft of joy and comfort, by reason of self-condemna- 
tion, doubt and apprehension, filled with conscious guilt, 



loe 

that tliou hast withdrawn ; O sweetly charm their vision 
that they may forget to look at themselves, and that they 
may behold the unspeakable glory of Jesus Christ, 
which is a better vision. May tliey at last learn that 
their strength is in Christ and not in themselves, and 
that it is the righteousness, the boundless grace and 
goodness and love of Christ that is to save them, and not 
the longings of their own will and power. If there are 
found in thy presence those that have had a faith of thee 
andr. have lost it, and are wandering in darkness and 
trouble, who at times think it is a vain delusion, and are 
rushed upon by strong desires of something nobler and 
better than life's experiences, O Lord, let them not drift 
forever thus out at sea without guidance, and subject to 
swelling storms. Go to them, thou that walkest on the 
water, thou that hast control of the elements, thou that 
didst save thy terrified ones. O Lord Jesus, go to any 
that are thus drifting further and further toward dark- 
ness. 

If there are those that are in despondency, whose hope 
in Christ is as if Christ in the ship were asleep in the 
storm, rise thyself, O storm-calming Christ, and calm their 
terror, and give them peace that they may praise thee. 
Is not every heart a temple of God ? O how wonderful 
shall be the ofiering of every one who knows how now 
out of a grateful heart to speak forth thy praise ! What 
other thing can we ask ? Disclose thyself to every one — 
thy love, thy gentleness, thy faithfulness, thy fidelity that 
cannot be overcome; that power that is more than life, 
more than death — that power that reigns in heaven and 
controls in hell. Disclose thyself to every one, not as the 
God of judgment, though thou wilt judge ; not as a God 
of ]4istice, though thou art unspeakably holy; but so 



CHRIST OUR NECESSITY AND JOY. 107 

breathe consolation upon every clouded spirit that light 
and promise shall come to every heart that is mourn- 

Begin the work of grace in those where it is not 
begun ; carry it forward in all hearts where thou hast 
begun it ; and, O Lord, perfect it in those that have long 
sought thee and have not perfectly found thee ; and may 
there be many among us upon whom shall begin to 
dawn that perfect peace, that peace which flows as a 
river, whose sources and fountains are not in any earthly 
thing, but in God. Be very near to those in thy pres- 
ence that need divine quickening and help ; for thou art 
so wonderful in thy mercy, that thou dost not alone help 
us in our greaest wants, but in least ; for there is nothing 
that concerns us that does not concern thee. 

If there are any present troubled with affliction, 
thou art here to answer their petition. If there are any 
that are grievously oppressed by poverty, and know not 
what to do ; thou, O God, art here to listen to their 
complaint and to send them succor. If there are any 
here who are weary with sickness, and troubled for want 
of sympathy ; thou art their God and dost love them, and 
they may come to thee with all their trouble, for thou 
wilt not cast out their complaint. If there are any that 
are straitened in business and burdened with social cares, 
here thou wilt permit them to bring their secular affairs ; 
not that they may turn them in their minds to make life 
more weary and care more vexatious, but here they may 
lay down their burden ; here they may be sustained with 
a consciousness that they are leaning upon the staff of 
God, and that all events are in his hand, and that all 
things shall work together for good. 

If there are any that are mourning because thou hast 



108 r.EECHErv's rULPIT DEVOTIONS. 

taken their children from them ; thou canst show them to 
them again. If there are those present from whom thon 
hast taken friends and companions ; thou canst let them 
see them. Only the bodily form is gone ; they are near 
to them, and thou canst reveal how near the kingdom of 
God is to those that are on earth. If there are here those 
who are strangers in a strange place, O, thou canst make 
them understand this morning that they are of the house- 
hold of faith, and that here is their Father's house and 
here are their brethren. If there are those that are in 
any way tried or have any need whatsoever, whether 
bodily or spiritually, whether of the affections or of the 
understanding, or of things domestic, thou, O God, art 
here to-day to receive supplications from every one, and 
to show thyself royal in mercy and wonderful in wisdom, 
and patient beyond all earthly degrees of patience. 

We pray that we may not offend thee by unbelief; 
may we come, every one of us, knowing that there is 
nothing more pleasing to God than that we should trust 
his goodness, and that we should presume upon his mer- 
cy ; — that we should come boldly to the throne of grace 
and obtain grace in time of need. And if those present 
gain nothing else, may every one of us go away feeling 
that we have been nearer to God, with a greater cer- 
tainty of his presence overshadowing us; and so may 
we feel more of the Spirit of God carried with us. 

Be thou near to those who are sick and cannot come 
liither, and wilt thou grant that the light of God may fill 
their dwelling. Chase away their trouble, their doubts, 
and their unbelief, and give them sweet peace in believ- 
ing in Christ. May those that are appointed to life 
again come forth in due season, chastened by sickness, 
and made better. May those that are appointed to life 



- CHEIST OUE NECESSITY A:N-D JOT. 109 

eternal, issue forth out of the gate of promise and hope, 
and appear in Zion and before God. 

We pray for the outcast, for those that have given 
themselves over to work iniquitj^ — for the children of 
vice and crime ; for those that have had no instruction 
in better things, unto whom the gate of heaven has been 
shut ; father and mother both teaching the ways of vice 
and crime — O God, have compassion on such. Ee- 
member those that sit in ignorance ; remember all 
that are in oppression ; all that are in any way the 
subjects of injustice and misrule. Wq pray that the 
whole family of man everywhere may come up in remem- 
brance before thee. O Lord God, how longj how long 
shall the earth carry its burden ? How long shall the 
world be without even the knowledge of God ? How long 
shall darkness and besotted ignorance and sin brood upon 
whole continents ? How long shall war and oppression, 
and rapine and misrule, desolate the earth ? When shall 
the realm of tears cease ? When shall the voice of singing 
be heard in all the land ? Thou hast promised better 
things. O God, send forth thy summer in which this 
world shall ripen, and then pluck the fruit, that thou 
mayest glorify thyself with it through the ages of 
eternity ; and to thy name shall be the praise, Father, 
Son, and Spirit. Amen. 



CLOSma PRAYER. 

Our heavenly Father, we beseech of thee that we may be impressed 
with the grandeur of those truths which are cast out in thy word as free 
as the air, and which we breathe as unconsciously as we breathe the air, not 
knowing what they teach. grant that we may not be surrounded by 
thee, nursed, loved, cared for, and watched, and yet not know thee. 
Forbid that we should be surrounded with God, and yet be unconscious 
and indifFereut. Forgive us our past infidelity ; forgive us our atheism. 
Thou hast made the world, and we have emptied it of thee. help us to 
bring God back again. Help us to see that thou art still walking in the 
garden, not alone at the close of the day, but all through its hours. May 
we feel that thou dost come into the house ; that thou art with us in the 
breaking of bread, and dost not vanish any more. May we feel that thou 
art every where ; and may those who are so dependent that they must 
needs lean back their heads, lean them upon thy bosom, since every thing 
is to us as the bosom of God, for thou hast made all tilings. May we 
understand how divine truth multiplies itself, how it goes forth in all 
directions and surrounds us. May we be made not afraid, but strong and 
rejoicing in this all surrounding presence of our God. May we be helped 
by his strength, and carried by him in his eternal march. And when at 
last we have passed through this scene of ignorance, disappointment, sin, 
and trial, may we emerge in that clear light of an unbroken day ; and 
there we will praise the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen. 



PETITIONIIiJ-G FOR LIGHT. 



SaHbath Morning. 

INVOCATION. 

"We thank thee, Lord, that thou hast already begun to do us good, 
even in thy sanctuary; and hast lifted up the light of thy countenance 
upon us. Now, our Father, we ask that thou wilt fulfill thy purposes. 
Breathe that divine and quickening influence upon us under which all our 
powers shall rise up and do their office-work. Grant us all needed help 
in the reading of thy word, that we may not walk through it as though it 
were the grave of truths, but that we may behold them rising in power, 
touched of God ; and that we may hear them speaking to us. Help us to 
lift up our voice in prayer, and to have sweet communion with thee ; and 
help us also to commune with thee in fellowship with each other in sacred 
song. May we rejoice thus to mingle our voices one with another, and go 
before the throne of a common Father. Bless us in speaking from thy 
truth, in meditating upon the word spoken, and in all the exercises of 
public Vvorship and of private devotion, this day. We ask it for Christ's 
sake. Amen. 

BEFORE SERMON. 

Ottr Heavenly Father, we come this morning to ask 
that thou wilt give ns the spirit of little children, that 
we may be able to throw off that pride and that vanity 
which have grown up under the influences of this world, 
and which have not enlightened but blinded us, making 
us think that we were living when we were dead. We 
pray that we may be able to look upon ourselves, not in 



112 BEECHEr's pulpit DEY0TI0]S"S. 

the light of other men's opinions ; nor according to our 
own low merit as judged in the light of affection and of 
household and of human affairs. May we behold our- 
selves beneath the light of thy law and under the light 
of thy countenance. May we see our littleness, our 
crude moral state, our scanty attainments, the mixture 
of motives that perpetually play upon the surface of our 
life ; and may we behold the deeper and darker currents 
that work beneath. May we beliold how we grow out 
from the earth ; how we are inclined to the things that 
savor not of God, but of man ; and how we ofttimes live 
under influences that are bearing us downward and fas- 
tening us to the earth, rather than inspiring and lifting 
us toward God. 

"We pray, ay, we entreat, that we may have such a 
sense of our sins, that we shall be glad to be instructed 
by every word of thine. May we have such a sense of 
our wickedness, that it shall come with inconceivable joy 
to us that God is our everlasting strength. May we be 
so far weaned from our own vainglorious self-depend- 
ence, that we shall be willing to trust in Christ and to 
take hold by faith and live upon him. We beseech thee, 
not that thou wilt give us that help which we need to do 
the things that are of the body and of the earth ; — for that 
we have power ; but to do the things that lift us from 
the earth and toward the spiritual and the invisible ; — for 
that we need instruction. And we come to pray that 
thou wilt crown all thy daily gifts and thine other in- 
numerable mercies, with that sweetest and most blessed 
gift, the Holy Spirit, so that every one of us may feel 
that the flame which lights our path is divine, that we 
are walking in no uncertain way, that we are not left 
alone to the su^o-estions of our own imaojination, nor to 



PETITIONING FOR LIGHT, 113 

follow the imperfect directions of our own reason, but 
that we are guided of God, who loves us and has com- 
prehended us in the arms of his promises ; who has 
adopted us into the household of his own children, and 
made us heirs of eternal riches that are yet to be revealed 
in us. 

Xow, we ask, O God, if there are those in thy pre- 
sence who are rejoicing before thee, who have learned 
that thou art gracious, who know of a surety that 
there is a life hidden with Christ, more blessed and 
joyful than any disclosed life of earthly pleasure or suc- 
cess, if to-day they offer up their tribute of thanksgiving 
and of gratitude, be pleased to accept it at their hands ; 
and if they have found 'access to thee and can prevail in 
prayer, may they not forget those round about them that 
are struggling as once they were. May their prayers 
to-day go forth for all their Christian brethren, for their 
more perfect emancipation, and for a more perfect dis- 
closure of the power of Christ in their souls. 

Hear their cry who sometimes love thee, but whose 
hopes are often clouded ; who know that the true way of 
life is that which leads toward the Saviour, but who lose 
that way. O Lord, we beseech of thee that thou wilt 
draw near to such ; and we pray not that thou wilt take 
conscience away from them, but magnify its office in 
them ; and add to it a faith that shall discern, a trust that 
shall rest in Christ, and a love that shall be able to find 
him wherever he is. May they grow in grace, and in the 
knowledge of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. 

And if there are in thy presence, those that are walk- 
ing in the exact way, avoiding evil and seeking good, 
walking with duty as a perpetual burden and ache, O 
Lord God, fulfill to them the promise thou hast made — 



114 beecher's pulpit DEY0TI0J?"S. 

and may they find that their religion, which is of duty, 
being touched of Christ, and illumined by faith — may 
they find that the yoke is easy and the burden light. 
There are many that can not walk by reason of that 
burden which they bear, and whose life is one perpetual 
throe of trouble, and almost of despair ; but thou canst 
bring them forth, quickening all the power of doing 
right ; thou canst make sin seem to them yet more sinful 
and evil, more hateful ; and yet thou canst make the 
victory more easy, and their way of life more bright and 
joyful by the shining of thine own self, shining into their 
souls and teaching them of God. 

If there are any present desiring to know something 
of these things, but are like ignorant men that know not 
whither to go nor where to land, O Lord Jesus, thou 
canst guide the lost, for thou didst come to seek and to 
save the lost, and we commend to thee to-day every heart 
that is in any wise touched with a desire to live a better 
life ; may they not be content to live simply in external 
things better, but may they come boldly at once to the 
throne of grace, and begin to live a Christian life in faith 
and love. Bless those whom in thy providence thou 
hast put to guide the inquirer ; may every one of thy dear 
people, to whom thou hast given some experience of 
divine things, feel that they are commissioned of 
Almighty God to be his ministering servants, and that 
they are to preach the Gospel by their joy, by their 
purity, and also by the word of mouth. May they feel 
that they are ordained to be ministers of Christ, and that 
they are both to instruct and guide those round about 
them, giving them wisdom and an appetite for these 
sacred things. May they rejoice in nothing else but 
Christ, and may great success be given to thy people. 



PETITIOXIXG FOR LIGHT. 115 

We thank thee that thou art manifesting thyself a God 
of power ; giving resurrection from the old life into the 
new, so that thy churches are brought to rejoice in 
thy goings forth. O Lord, we rejoice in the memory of 
past goodness, in thy providential mercies, and in the 
belief that thou art not far from us. We hear thy foot- 
steps here and there ; we learn of the trophies of thy 
victorious grace in one and another instance, and our 
souls are glad in thee. Even so, make bare thine arm in 
the midst of thy people. Go forth, O God, not in judg- 
ment, but for salvation ; and may there be many in all 
the churches throughout our land that shall be awakened 
to righteousness — many that shall be called from dead 
works and darkness into*the marvelous light and liberty 
of the sons of God. Bless the truth that is to be spoken 
to-day ; strengthen thy servant to perform the duties 
that are allotted to him, and may a portion be dis- 
tributed to every one, nor fail of its effect, and may this 
be a day of blessing among us. We ask these things, 
not that we are worthy, but because it pleases thee to 
give. We ask them for thine own name's sake ; to whom, 
with the Spirit, shall be praise everlasting. Amen. 



CLOSINa PRAYER. 

Our Heavenly Father, wilt thou grant a blessing to rest on the word 
spoken. We thank thee for the gift of Christ our Saviour; we thank thee 
for the declaration of his love. We do not beheve because the v/ord of 
God has told us ; now we beheve because it hath been shed abroad in our 
souls. Thou hast given us the witness of tlie apostles and holy men of 
old; but the witness of thy Spirit is better, and thou hast shed it abroad 
in our hearts. We know thy nature of love, having experienced it and 
being changed by it. N'or can we forget what comfort we have had: the 
hours of prayer, the hours of sweet communion through th}- word with 
thee personallj^ — the hours of meditation, of solace, of sick cess and of 
trouble made briglit. Thou that shinest into the storms all the glory of 
the heavens, and makest the sun turn darkness into light, thou canst also 
change tlie sources of sadness, sorrow and sickness, into all glorious 
things ; and thou dost. We are witnesses for thee. Thou art doing in 
our life exceeding abundantly, more than we asked or thought. We 
bless thy name that this world is but the earnest of that to come, and if 
this is that which is done afar off, 0, what shall be the revelation and the 
glory of thy love when we are near at hand. Even so. Lord Jesus, come 
quickly, and.to thy name shall be the praise forever. Amen. 



i 



THE jour:n"et of life. 



Sdbhath Morning, 

IXYOCATIOX. 

Be pleased, onr Father, to look forth from the fullness of thine own 
glory, and communicate to us something of thy life, which thou hast for 
thyself and for all thy creatures. Grant that we may know thy presence 
by the rising in us of that faith, that hope, and all those affections that go 
forth to greet thee. And we ask that thou wilt give us a comprehensive 
heart, that the words that we shall read from thy sacred revelation shall 
(iome to us as the messages of God. Grant that we may feel the need of 
confession and worship, and that we may unite together, and be blessed 
in the union of prayer and in the communion of song . and may the word 
of instruction be given earnestly and received heedfully, and may all the 
worship which we offer, and the instruction which we seek, and the joy 
which we desire, and every experience and exercise of the sanctuary and 
of the whole Sabbath day be blessed of thee. TTe ask it for Christ's sake. 
Amen. 

BEFORE SERMOX. 

We adore tliee, thou that art the source of L'ght — thou 
that earnest life to all that are. Thou art great in 
power, unsearchable in wisdom, and infinite in all the 
resources of thy being. We can not by searching find 
thee out, or understand ih^Q to perfection ; but what we 
know inspires in us reverence and love and joy. With 
our hearts we prostrate ourselves before thee, glad to 
know that we are of thee and going to thee ; that our 
life is watched ; that thou seest the end from the begin- 
ning, and through endless diversities art drawing us 
each to our final estate of glory. Thou art the author 



118 BEECHEE^S PULPIT DEVOTIONS. 

and tli3 finisher of our faith ; and when things aronnd 
about us are insecure, thou art the tower of our strength. 
When all other things seem to fail, thou never failest — 
the same yesterday, to-day, and forever, without variable- 
ness or shadow of turning. 

Yf e rejoice, O God, that thou hast made such com- 
munications of thy thoughts and feelings through Jesus 
Christ our Saviour. He is the bread of our life. We 
are strong in thee, that are weak in ourselves ; and are 
able to walk where but for the knowledge that thou hast 
given us, we should crouch down under trouble. We 
are able to stand, and having done all to stand against 
everv assault in the midst of battle. In thick-comino; 
dangers, both present and future, thou hast taught us to 
sit securely, to sing, to rejoice in thee; and in the midst 
of our adversaries to count it all joy when we fall into 
trials ; to rejoice in weakness, in infirmities, and afflic- 
tions for Christ's sake ; to rejoice in persecutions, aye, to 
hail death itself, and to go gladly toward it as the gate 
of deliverance. 

Thou hast taught us, O Lord God, to despise the 
things that are in this life, except as things to be used 
by the wayside ; therein thou hast taught us to abound 
in joy in the gifts of God, but thou hast taught us to lay 
them down even as we took them up. As strangers and 
pilgrims our city of habitation is not here ; the houses 
which we build are but for the hour; the city, whose 
builder and maker is God, shines everlastingly ; and 
those mansions, not made with hands but eternal in the 
heavens, are our home. Thitherward we flock in com- 
panies and in families — thither each is tending. And 
we rejoice that thou art sending forth messages to us by 
the hour; that we are remembered, and that we are 



THE JOURNEY OF LIFE. 119 

secured. We rejoice that thou dost teach us to believe, 
that all the events which are every day environing us 
are watched of God, permitted or sent, aud that all 
things work together for the good of them that love thee. 
Now, O Lord Jesus, we beseech thee that we may be 
held up in tliis faith, and that we may bear it about 
even as our very raiment, to cover our nakedness. What 
are we when we stand in the flesh, and only in the things 
that this world can give ? What are we when we are in 
the midst of the best estate of life, without the sunlight 
of thy countenance ? Thou dost by thy grace give light 
to us ; and though we are consumed and the outward 
man perishes, the inward man is renewed day by day. 
We desire that thou wilt continue that work which thou 
hast begun; — that influence which thou hast already 
breathed upon us, let it still work for us and in us. 

Help us to watch against easily besetting sins ; to put 
away every thing that separates between us and thee, 
and Kmit and measure our expectations by the rule thou 
hast given us — help us to set before us evermore the cross 
of Christ on earth and Christ himself ever living in 
heaven, and from day to day may our treasures be there 
and our heart be there also. May we set our afi'ections 
upon things above, where Christ sitteth. And grant, we 
pray thee, as thou art making that land both nearer to 
us by every year that we live, and clearer to us by all 
those that thou art taking from us and to whom we 
stretch our vision — ^grant that it may become more in- 
fluential upon us; that we may live by faith of the 
invisible more, and by the power of the senses less. 

Grant this morning, to every one in thy presence, the 
appropriate mercy which they need. How many have 
come up hither, as it were to ask life of thee ! How 



120 BEECHEr's PirLFIT DEVOTIONS. 

many burdened ones ! And if tlion dost not strengthen 
them, they will fall. How many that are hungry! 
Thon, O God, only canst feed them. How many sor- 
rowing and believing ones ! The presence of thy heart 
can heal their wounds, and nothing else can. How 
many that are in trouble of sin, and are unable to deliver 
themselves from the coil of the serpent, but thou canst — 
for thou, blessed Jesus, hast triumphed over the serpent, 
and bruised his head, and can teach us to do the same. 
How many tempted, and driven of temptation, as ships 
by violent winds ! How many that have aspirations upon 
which fall mists and clouds ! How many that are strug- 
gling at times for good, only to furnish to themselves the 
standard of right by w^hich to rebuke their uses of life 
and of daily business ! How many are there in thy pres- 
ence, that see enough of thee and of duty, to feel that 
their life is painful and their character void ! 

And now, O thou Blessed One, we beseech of thee, that 
givest to every thing in the earth, outwardly of its kind, 
the food appropriate ; thou that art sending, in the uni- 
versal sun, in showers, and in all the genial influences of 
the soil, the appropriate nourishment to things that grow 
before thee, wilt thou not give to us that sunlight, that 
descent of heavenly dew, that blessed and genial influ- 
ence and soul-food that we severally need ? Are we less 
loved than these outward things, and less cared for ? Art 
thou not the Creator of the outward world, but the 
Father of our spirits ? We come to thee this morning 
in our own behalf, and in behalf of every one in thy pres- 
ence that needs prayer and divine help, beseeching that 
thou wouldst do to each the things that they severally 
need. Raise up the fallen, strengthen the weak, and 
comfort the comfortless. 



THE JOUEXEY OF LIFE. 121 

Wilt thou, O Lord God, teacli us to shed tears bo 
more, or to weep with profit of soul. Make us to feel 
that this world is not our home, and may we be glad in 
the recognition of it. Make us to feel that the heavenly 
spirit-land is our home, and may we have, by thought at 
least, introduction there, that it may become real to us, 
that it may be dear, and by foretaste compensate the 
burden and the trouble of the way. 

O Lord God, draw every one in thy presence to thee as 
the source of life and of health. May we cast ourselves 
upon thee, may we feel that thy guiding and loving care, 
thy forgiveness, thy grace, thy culture, shall be our hope 
and our salvation ; and so may we rest in thee, and trust- 
ing may we see springing up in us the fruit of love, and 
of those good works which otherwise we could never per- 
form. 

Grant, we pray thee, a blessing to rest upon all the 
congregations that gather together in the city at this 
time. Bless the pastors of the various churches, and the 
office bearers, all the members of the churches and con- 
gregations, and families that are grouped round about 
these several centers, and grant that there may arise 
from all worshiping assemblies grateful incense to thee, 
and may this city be greatly blest by the example and 
active influence of thy servants. May we have officers 
and magistrates that shall fear God and be just to men. 

Purify our laws and institutions, and establish this city 
in righteousness. Grant that all our land may come up 
in remembrance before thee. Inspire those struggles 
that are needful for the supremacy of good over evil ; and 
in the struggle, wilt thou be found directing the courses 
of thought and intention, and give final victory to justice, 
to liberty, to purity, and truth. May we behold the 



122 beecher's pulpit devotions. 

advance of Christ, not in his visible form, but in his 
second coming, when he shall appear, and all mankind 
shall stand in the restored image of God. Grant, we 
pray thee, that all these things may work out this final 
consummation, and that the glory of the Lord may fill 
the earth, as the waters fill the sea — which mercies we 
ask in the name of the ever beloved, to whom, with the 
Father and Spirit^ shall be praises unceasing. Amen. 



THE BATTLE OF LIFE. 



An Evening Prayer. 

Our heavenly Father, we rejoice that we are not any 
longer left to the interpretations of thee by fear^ neither 
art thou made known to us by the interpretations of 
conscience. Thou hast taught us that thou canst be 
known only by the interpretations of love. Thou 
hast set forth thyself in our Saviour Christ, and 
thou hast taught us what was the love of God in that 
which inspired him to bear and to do; and we are 
taught to come to thee through him, as children come 
to parents, and all the bands and cords which draw us 
are affection. Thou art no longer lifted up in the im- 
mensity of the eternal world, explored by our trembling 
fears and looked for by our mortal apprehensions — thou 
art brought very near to us, yea thou dost dwell within 
us, and we learn of our own experiences to understand 
thee — though we are so poor in excellence, though we 
are so much stained with sin, yet thou hast been pleased 
to bear witness in us to the truths of thy word : 'Now we 
rejoice in the fullness of thy nature, in the majesty and 
the power of divine goodness. We marvel at all the 
exercises and magnanimities of thy love, and learn to 
behold thy grandeur more there than in the outsti'etch- 
ing of thine hand, in the turning of the earth, or in the 
sweeping through the heavens of all its host. Thou art 



124 BEECHEH'S PULPIT BEVOTIOXS. 

God in these outward things; thou art in thine omnipo- 
tence and omnipresence Divine, but within only dost thou 
bi^ng us to bow before thee — when we look within and 
see what is the royalty and nature of love in God — 
thy mercy, thy gentleness, thy compassion, thy good- 
ness. 

We beseech thee that we may take heed of thee, that 
we may become like unto thee; for the law of selfish- 
ness works mightily within us and against our better 
knowledge — against our daily resolutions, and against our 
wishes even. It strives within us, overmastering often 
and subduing us. We desire to be led out from its bond- 
age ; we desire to come into the large element of true 
love, to become like God — to dvv^ell among our fellow- 
men with constant benefactions and endless sympathies, 
and to make our way through life by doing favors, to 
walk as thou dost walk, going about and doing good 
for evermore. 

Wilt thou help every one of us in this strife which we 
bear ; in all the experiences which fall out by the way. 
Thou art teaching us by our outward avocations ; thou 
art teaching us by our social experiences ; thou art giving 
or taking away; thou art putting burdens upon us or 
giving us release from trouble ; thou art teaching us on 
every side with motive, and persuasion, and influence. 

May we have sight given to behold the hand of God 
in all these earthly experiences, to know what is the 
meaning and purpose of care and sorrow, to know what 
it means to be thwarted and turned aside from cherished 
purposes — to have our pride humbled and our vanity 
put to shame, to be made to 2:)ine and long for things 
not reached. May we understand the mystery of thy 
providences, and seek to co-operate with them in the 



THE BATTLE OF LIFE. 125 

evolution of all those higher and nobler states, which 
should characterize thine own people. 

Ifow thou knowest what is the battle with each one ; 
and we beseech of thee that thou wilt help every one to 
gain victories in his own place and over his own disposi- 
tion. May we not be weary in well-doing; may none 
of us feel as though it were too long and continued a 
strife, too hard to bear. May we set before us evermore 
the vision of that rest which remaineth for the people of 
God. May we set before thee thine ov/n image, calmly 
beholding us, and forever looking forth upon the strife of 
life, not indifferent to its least act ; and may we live as 
seeing thee who art in\T.sible, moving as before these 
eternal truths, and taking heart ; and may we more and 
more manfully contest every day the battle of life unto 
the end of it. 

Let us not be content with our own individual good. 
May we seek on every side to draw others with us to 
those that are linked to us by the chains of sympathy 
and affection, and those who are bound to us by the 
more intimate connections ; our kindred, that carry our 
blood and life with them. 

May we more and more feel w^liat are the obliga- 
tions resting upon us toward those that are bound to us. 
May life become more real, obligations more binding, 
and kindness and love more sacred. May there be more 
and more of God in human affairs ; may our daily experi- 
ences beconie more and more simple to our apprelien- 
sion ; and so may we walk, never forsaken of thee, never 
forsaken of duty, never seemingly far off from heaven — 
never so far but that we can hear its sweet sounds and 
feel its blessed influences : and when the end of life shall 
come, may we find that it is not an end but a beginning ; 



120 beecher's ptjlpit devotioxs. 

may we find tliat we pass from glory to glory — from 
tlie veiled and shadowy glory of this sphere, to the un- 
veiled and real glory of that eternal sphere. And we 
will give the praise of our salvation to the Father, Son, 
and Holy Spirit. Amen. 



SANCTIFIED KNOWLEDGE OF GOD. 



Sabbath Morning, 

INVOCATION. 

Grant unto us, our heavenly Father, this morning, access to thee with 
all joyfTilness. Thou dost not bar thyself from our approach, but thou 
lovest to have us run unto thee, even as parents do their children. "We 
ask that ve may have that needed help, that divine brooding by which 
our understanding shall be cleared and lifted up — that teaching by which 
we shall receive power in all our spiritual parts. Inspire us to love, and 
through love to do aU things. May the reading of thy word be sweet to 
us, and may it be as the eating of fruit from the tree of life. May speak- 
ing from it net be void and empty, but full of profit. We pray that we 
may know how to pray. Grant us also those joyful affections that shall 
overflow in songs before thee; and may we never sing together without 
the dawn and vision of that blessed realm, where joys for evermore indite 
and roll themselves forth in psalms and hymns. So may even the earthly 
sanctuary be a suggestion and a foretaste of our heavenly rest. We ask 
it for Christ's sake. Amen. 

BEFORE SERMON. 

W"e adore thee, O tliou that art lifted up above all the 
earth and above the heavens, infinite in power, in wis- 
dom, in goodness, transcending all oar experience or 
conception. We rejoice that thon art perfect, though 
we know not what the fullness of that word means. All 
our thouojhts of thee are filled with wonder. As fast as 
we learn, we admire and marvel ; and that we shall 
never know by searching, nor complete our finding out, 
is a source of peace and joy to us, giving yet higher con- 



128 beecher's pulpit deyotioxs. 

ceptions of what is thy being and the riches of thy 
nature. 

We desire to accept thee as thon art revealed to us iu 
the light of nature ; and we thank thee that now we can 
avail ourselves of that revelation, since thou hast given 
us its commentary and interpretation in thy word. We 
beseech of thee that thou wilt teach us the divine lesson 
how to bear forth the light of scripture upon the world 
itself, until we shall have affixed to every part of it, and 
all its familiar faces, the teaching of God — till we hnov/ 
how to discern thee in thy standing works, and till we 
find ourselves walking in the midst of a Bible that is 
never shut, whose revelations are perpetually sounding 
and reporting themselves. Deliver us from the tempta- 
tions which surround us to see only laws in nature. May 
we feel thine heart throbbing throughout the world ; may 
we believe that thou art present, not merely as an intel- 
ligence and as a power, but in sympathy as a living 
being ; may we walk with God, finding it impossible to 
be alone, having company for evermore wherever we are. 
And grant that it may not be merely for the lifting up 
of our understanding, not for our enjoyment, nor for the 
refinement of our taste, that we grow in the knowledge 
of Jesus and of God the Father ; but may we also find 
that this knowledge of thee is making us like thee in all 
truth and the love of truth ; in justice and the love of 
justice ; in benevolence and in all its controlling forms 
and influences. We beseech thee that we may thus 
become like unto thee ; and by this likeness have this 
interpretation of God in our own experience. 

But when we endeavor thus to learn, how are we 
beset with constant selfishness; with ever domineering 
pride, with intrusive passions, with all manner of inquisi- 



SANCTIFIED KNOWLEDGE OF GOD. 129 

tive evil ! . It is impossible for us to look and see the 
reflection of thy face in our own hearts, for they do not 
lie still like tranquil lakes to reflect the stars above 
them; but are for evermore agitated by winds that play 
upon them and break up the reflection and cast noth- 
ing back to us. O give us that purity of heart by 
which we may see God. Give us that peace by which 
we may be able to reflect thee from untroubled affec- 
tions. 

We pray, O God, that thou wilt teach us how to find 
every day occasion of grace. Teach us every day how to 
find our life in the things that are known to us and 
which thou art puttiag into our hand. May we cease 
to look upon things under the ill-named forms of trial, 
care, trouble, and sorrow ; may we look upon those 
things as so many teachings of God and so many lessons 
to be learned. May we be more brave of heart ; may 
we be more brave in our affections. Take away from us 
all effeminacy of taste and all effeminacy of love, and 
all things that shall make us shrink from the battles of 
life or from any of its experiences. Give us that robust- 
ness, that strength, that patience, and that endurance, by 
which we shall be able to carry our daily experience 
with great cheerfulness and gladness. May we know 
how to be content with such things as we have ; may 
our conversation not be with covetousness, nor anxiety, 
but may we walk as children of God, surely beloved • 
walk as in thy presence, and live as seeing thee who art 
invisible; and may we understand the reason of thy, 
providence in so far as it is necessary for our faith. May 
we know that thou dost not willingly afflict nor grieve 
the children of men. May we endeavor to take all thy 
providences, according to this intent ; seek everv day to 

6* 



130 beechsr's pulpit DEyOTIO:tTS. 

submit ourselves before the mighty hand of Grod, and to 
humble ourselves thereby. 

We pray that thou wilt help those in thy presence 
th.at are striving against their easily besetting sins. Do 
thou, O God, by thy grace, stir us up Vvith new thoughts 
of duty, with new desires of holiness. We understand 
better than we practice ; we discern what we should be, 
but, alas ! we are as men that perceive fruits upon the 
further shore, while the storm rolls deep and threatening 
between them, and they can not cross over : and v/e see 
where excellencies are, but, alas ! the passions which we 
can not ford. O Lord, grant unto us, not only the power 
of discernment, but the power also that will enable us to 
overcome. May we know how to fulfill the duties that 
are put successively upon us ; know how to avail our- 
selves of thy strength, to abide in thee, and to have thee 
abide with us, that we may bear witness that we can do 
all things, Christ strengthening us ; for our experience 
now is more that without thee we can do nothins:. We 
pray thee that thus our life may be so joined to thee, that 
we shall come to feel that we are branches, thou the trunk ; 
and that the fruit of goodness in us is of thee ; and may 
we thus glorify God by bearing much fruit. Deliver us 
from the temptations which easily environ us, and which 
spring out of the peculiar circumstances in which by thy 
providence thou hast placed us. Grant that every one 
of us may gird up his loins, and with all diligence, with 
all fidelity, and with all truth and justice, we may walk 
exemplifying the spirit of Christ, and blessing thee by 
our holv obedience. And in those thiup^s where we are 
less instructed, may we have the illumination of thy Spirit, 
that we may learn more and more, and practice what we 
learn. 



SANCTIFIED KNOWLEDGE OF GOD. 131 

We beseecli thee that thou wilt bless our dear friends ; 



and remember our parents, remember our brothers, our 
sisters ; remember their households ; remember all our 
connections, and all with whom we have had sweet friend- 
Bhip and fellowship in life. Remember all that have 
shown us kindness or service of any kind ; may we 
never forget to be grateful. We beseech thee that 
thou wilt remember those that have shown us ill-will, 
those that are our enemies; and if they are justified 
somewhat in our misconduct, may we repent for our own 
sakes and for theirs ; and may we carry a mind above 
all animosity. May we love even our enemies, and may 
we seek to do them good. May that mind be in us 
which was also in Christ Jesus ; and so may we be 
perfect as God is perfect — not by mere yearnings, not by 
mere conceptions of superior bliss and holiness, but may 
we seek perfection in these lower ranges by the subjec- 
tion of our pride and intemperance, and by crucifying all 
those things that wound and offend love. 

Remember those that are young. Grant, we beseech 
thee, a prosperous voyage to every one of them toward 
manhood. We pray that they may not be cast away, 
nor sink, nor be misled, nor captured by piratical pas- 
sion. Deliver them from tlie evil which is in the world. 
May they be shielded in the household; may they be 
shielded in their own souls by the workings of thy Spirit, 
and by the teaching of those that are endeavoring to rear 
their children for God and for the benefit of the world. 
May their faith never fail, nor their fidelity cease. May 
they see their children grow up full of honor, and mighty, 
their own joy and the comfort of the world. 

Remember those that are occupied in teaching on 
every side, day by day or from Sabbath to Sabbath; 



132 beecher's pulpit deyotiong 

grant that tiiey may be filled with a sense of the great- 
ness of the work which tliey perform ; may they know 
that those that work at the foundation must needs work 
beneath the ground, and that they are inconspicuous ; 
and that while it requires great laboriousness, great pa- 
tience, and great self-denial, it reaps in this world less 
fruit of praise than any otlier work. Yet may there be 
sacred and divine joy in the thought that tliat which man 
may not know nor appreciate, is known of God, and will 
never be forgotten ; and may they have the abiding faith 
that they are going toward their reward. The crown of 
praise and rejoicing shall be theirs ; and may they, there- 
fore, be patient, vigilant, and faithful, filled with the 
spirit of Christ. 

Bless all for whom we should pray. Remember those 
that preach the Gospel of Christ to-day ; remember those 
churches that are gathered on every side of us, and fill 
the houses of thy people with joy and with peace. We 
pray that thy children of every name may be united in 
the bonds of a more perfect and patient love ; may of- 
fenses and divisions be taken away, and may that charity 
prevail which is yet to unite all the discordant elements 
of the world. 

O Lord, we beseech of thee that thou wilt in thine own 
infinite wisdom make haste and cut short the days which 
must come, and from which the world can not shrink — the 
baptism of blood and of fire. O let it take place speedily, 
that the end may begin to dawn ; that when nations have 
been wrecked by war, and consumed enough by desola- 
tions, they may learn the things that shall make for 
peace — let it be known at last that a true love, standing 
upon a true justice, shall give peace and happiness the 
world throughout. We ask of thee that we may learn it 



SAXCTIFISD ICXOV/LEDGE OF GOD. 133 

ourselves at home, and that we may not lay up for om'- 
selves food for intestine interpellations and mischiefs by 
and by. May we know that there is not in the strength 
of the right hand, in all the munitions of war, in all pro- 
visions of law, or in properties of every kind, either safety 
or salvation to that people that have forfeited justice and 
humanity. May we know that a nation is but an empty 
carcass, out of which these divine qualities have gone ; 
and may this people, that is outwardly and nominally 
Christian at least, learn to see this — even thy church, O 
Lord Jesus. Teach thy church that it is a Christian duty 
to love and to be just, and for these to sacrifice every 
thino^ else on the earth. Thou needest to die ao:ain : 
thou art dying and crucified afresh in thine own 
churches. Lord, rise again, and bring forth salvation 
in all our lands and among all thine own people ; and 
grant that the light and the glory of the Gospel may 
shine forth — not alone in letter and exposition, multi- 
plied and iterated, but grant that there may be this 
inspired Gospel in the lives of thy people, in all law, 
custom, and usage — in things public and in things 
private may the Spirit of Christ be breathed forth ; and 
so may thy Gospel spread till the earth is filled with thy 
glory ; and to thy name shall be the praise, Father, Son, 
and Spirit. Amen. 



CLOSIxa PEAYER. 

Our Father, wilt thou bless the word which we have spoken. Grant 
that it may be an incitement to our motives. May we measure the ways 
of men, the ways of this nation, and our own ways, not by human opinions, 
but by sympathy with thy revealed truth. We thank thee that thou hast 
called so many back from the way in which they were wandering, and 
that thou art awakening again the dormant sympathies of man for man. 
We pray that thou wilt kindle to a glowing flame that which is but a 
spark now ; that thou wilt give to all thy churches and to every heart a 
glowing love until summer, from out of the midst of thy people, shall 
bloom again. 

Wilt thou, God, bless the remaining hours of this day. We walk 
with thee ; we would walk with thee when thou smitest us, and we would 
walk with thee when thou smilest upon us; for, smiling or smiting, it is 
in love. We take chastisement because we are sons, and thou art Father. 
grant that we may never need to feel thy hand as Judge. Eestrain us 
with thy love. Wean us from our sin, and from the love of it, and bring 
us back to thine own self. We ask it for Christ's sake. Amen. 



PASSING FROM DEATH TO LIFE. 



Sdbhatli Morning, 



IXYO CATION. 



Because thou hast spared us, because thou hast drawn us hither bv the 
sweet attraction of thy love, we are before thee in this place, Lord our 
Grod ; and we desire now to remember thy presence. And as they, that turn 
their faces to the sun, glow with the light thereof, and shine ; so grant 
that there may fall upon us the efifulgence of God, and that we may stand 
thus in the beauty of holiness. Cause thy word to be touched by the 
divine power, that out of the deadness of its letter, Christ may come forth ; 
even as from the death sepulcher, upon this blessed morning, he came into 
life. Eelease us from the bondage and the tyranny of care ; release us 
from the despotism of fear; release us from all sordid influences. May 
we feel, our better life rising up to-day within us, and holding communion 
with God. May we mingle our voices together in singing in the sweet 
fellowship of hymns and psalms; may we chant forth thy praises; may 
thy word be spoken unto edification, and may all the services of the sanc- 
tuary and the experiences of our homes on this day be for our souls' 
benefit and thy glory. We ask it for Christ's sake. Amen. 

BEFORE SERMON. 

"We thank thee that we are not left, onr heavenly 
Father, to find our way nnto thee alone ; we are borne 
np as upon clouds of remembrances. All the past of our 
lives, if we but understood its sacred teaching, would be 
a revelation of the goodness and the patience of God 
toward us. "We have walked in blindness, and as men 
walk upon the earth that thou hast made, and do not 
understand it, and behold ail the- fair tilings which thou 



136 beecher's pulpit devotioxs. 

hast formed and scarcely note them. As there are those to 
whom the heavens speak no lessons and the earth recites 
no history of God, so we have been in respect to the 
events of our own personal lives and the most memora- 
ble things thou hast done in ns and upon us. "We are 
surrounded with God, whose hand has been upon us from 
our cradle upward, and yet such brute creatures are we, 
so stupefied with conceit, so foolish for the pleasure of 
the senses, the running after that which men vainly call 
wisdom — that we have not regarded these wonderful 
providences, the care, the love, the forethought, the 
grace, the mercies of our God. But thou hast been 
pleased to enlighten our minds, to touch us with the feel- 
ing of love, and to bring us into such personal union 
with Christ that his life is now breathed upon us. We 
are beginning to live, although yet we are but children. 
Would that we were more children in our faith and 
love ! 

We thant thee that thou hast begun this, giving us 
birth again as it were, starting us fresh in life, to inter- 
pret to us our own nature, to interpret the ways of God 
to man. The earth is a book, and every day a turned 
leaf therein ; and our own selves are marvelous histories, 
all of them illustrating thy care, thy love, thy tender 
mercy, thy paternal goodness ; and when at times all the 
thought of God comes upon us, when we stand, upon 
some bright Sabbath day like this, to worship thee in 
thine house, and we look back and think of the days 
gone by and the joys that have garlanded them and the 
mercies that we recognize, when the multitude of thy 
thoughts toward us come to us amid all the experiences 
of our lives together, in this sanctuary, and in our sweet, 
social converse of Ch^^st — our hearts are overwhelmed 



PASSING FROM DEATH TO LIFE. 137 

with a sense of thy goodness ; and we know that there is 
more forgotten than remembered, more unnoticed at the 
time than that v/hich we recognize. We know thou hast 
always been he who doth exceeding abundantly more 
than we ask or think. We are surrounded by the 
memorials and memories and testimonies of thy goodness 
to us. 

And now, our Father, what can we say to thee? 
"What utterance of thanks can seem other than foolish 
by the side of such mercies ? We are made dumb by 
the sense of thy goodness. Our hearts can not speak, and 
our lips have no power to interpret them; but thou 
knowest, thou seest. We do not need to speak before 
thou wilt accept the unuttered germ of thought and feel- 
ing. Accept us this morning in our thanks, and in all 
the memory of thy grace and our gratitude for it, accord- 
ino; to that which thou seest and not accordin<^ to that 
which we speak. We desire, O God, no other service. 
Thy law is holy and just and good, and thy service with 
its yoke and its burden is more truly liberty and light- 
ness than the freest service of the world and of sin. 
Then only do we feel ourselves without care when we 
are most entirely surrendered to the spirit and will of 
our Father in heaven, when we feel that our life is flow- 
ing with thine, that we are part of that great scheme of 
redemption, that we are being borne in the bosom of the 
church of Christ, that we are of them that are to be 
registered in heaven, the general assembly and the 
church of the first-born there. 

O Lord, Avhen we walk with these thoughts in our 
souls, how are our meanest duties dignified ! how are we 
enthusiastic for all the parts of our earthly life, which 
has lifted up and illumined, made a part of thy work 



133 beecher's pulpit deyotio^^s. 

on eartli ! O grant that we may behold thee thus 
in all our least affairs, and that there may be from Christ 
that motiv.e which we may fail to find in the nature of 
things around us. If we are called in poverty, may we 
not be discouraged nor neglectful because there seems no 
motive to activity. May we remember Christ and find 
in him all that we need. If we are in obscurity, may 
we not withdraw from enterprises of love and kindness, 
but remember Christ, and find in him every consideration 
moving the human soul. Though we are surrounded by 
trying circumstances, vehement assaults of temptation, 
and difficulties of every kind, O remember us. Teach 
us to remember thee, and may we draw from the bosom 
of thy kindness and love that strength which we need 
being continued to us that we may not fail and perish. 

We praj^ that thou wilt be very gracious to every one 
according to his need. Thou knowest the universal 
heart ; there is not one in thy presence whose name is 
not known to thee ; there is not one w^hom thou dost not 
know better than he knows himself: nor has any event 
ever transpired that thou bast not beheld it, for thou 
hast carried us always in the arms of thy providence. 
Are any in affliction ? Thou knowest what man doth 
not ; thou canst comfort. Give forth the consolations of 
the Holy Ghost, to draw near to every one by thine own 
nature, and by the might of thine own glorious love ; 
and we pray that they may find themselves strangely 
quieted and lifted up, and as children that are hurt are 
caught in the bosom of a mother's love and hushed, and 
scarcely know what hath comforted them or what strange 
joy hath befallen them — so, be pleased to fulfill that 
declaration that thy love and remembrance are more than 
a mother's, and take into the arms of divine consolation 



PASSING FROM DEATH TO LIFE. 139 

those that need thee, that they may be hushed in thy 
bosom, and find there that peace which passeth all under- 
standing. 

Arm with strength according to the duties of their life 
those that stand in the midst of human affairs. Leave 
them not unguarded, leave them not to be tempted with- 
out help. Comfort, and with every temptation give 
them rescue. Teach us all how better to serve Christ in 
our ordinai-y and daily avocations ; and may v/e have this 
feeling upon us that it is Christ that we serve and not 
ourselves. We pray that we may be led, not by pride, 
nor by selfishness, nor by any feeling, motive, and pas- 
sion, but that we may be led by faith and by love. 

Grant that the events of thy providence may be 
blessed to us spiritually and to our eternal good. We 
are strangers and pilgrims in this world. May we heed 
it. May we bless God for all the fruit, and all the flowers 
that bloom or hang by the way tempting our necessity, 
but may we never sit down nor desire to embower our- 
selves on earth, as if this were good enough for our home ; 
and may we bear about with us in our most pleasant 
experiences the thought of the better land, and may 
every joy that comes to us be but the distant sound of 
the heavenly bells that call us hence to the eternal 
city. 

Grant that every day we may so live, thinking of tlie 
future, that death shall be the most radiant of portals, 
urging through which v/e ascend to triumph and eternal 
victory. May it not seem to us a sad thing to grow old. 
As daylight begins to dawn upon our darkness, leaving 
its glory there — as one sense after another indicates that 
thou art preparing to take down this mortal frame — as we 
behold these signs and tokens of outward decay, O grant 



140 beecher's pulpit devotioxs. 

that there may be a deep peace, an inward joy, and that 
the thonght of uiir blessed immortality may be to us as a 
balm in every trouble, as light in all darkness, as en- 
couragement under all oppressions and trials, and as a 
guide and an inspiration when things seem to us sapless 
and dead. 

O our adorable Saviour, since thou art the way and 
upon thee we walk, grant that, having our life hidden in 
thee, we may at last go forth, not doubting, not wander- 
ing, not lost in death, but may we go forth to find our- 
selves called by vehement voices of love, and may there 
be given to us a choral entrance into heaven ; may there 
come forth not only those that have been of us and with 
us and associated in sweet and blessed church fellowship, 
but grant that there may come forth those that are to be 
our superiors and teachers there ; may we go forth out 
of this school and drill of life, and find ourselves admitted 
to manhood and to the home and city of our God, with 
songs, and joys and blessings resting upon us; and to 
thy name shall be the praise, Father, Son, and Spirit. 
Amen. 



JESUS SEEING THE TRAVAIL OP HIS SOUL. 



SdUhaih ALorning, 

IXYOCATIOX. 

Our lieaveDly Father ! already thou hast opened the temple of thy 
worship; thou hast received us thyself; thou art our host, and we are 
thy guests. Stretch forth thine hand to give us that food which we need. 
Speak unto every one of us by name. May we feel that we have come 
home, and be able to say, " Our Father." We beseech of thee that thou 
wilt grant us the light that we need and desire for the reading of thy 
word ; grant unto us that enlarged state of heart which shall enable us 
to interpret its principles, that we may know them experimentally. Draw 
us forth graciously in prayer, communing with us, and inciting us to 
communion. Help us to sing, and accept our songs, and bless us in all 
the words of instruction ; and in every thing that we shall do this day, 
may we have the peace and the defending purity of God with us. We 
ask it for Christ's sake. Amen. 

BEFORE SERiTON. 

AVe thank tlieOj tliou eternal Father, that the glorious 
work, the manifestation of thyself through Jesus Christ, 
is completed. We thank thee that the light now shineth 
into the world, and into the darkness thereof, even 
though it comprehendeth it not. We rejoice that the 
day-spring is with thee; and thou that nourishest the 
morning and teachest it how to wax in strength and 
spread itself abroad upon the hemisphere, thou also shalt 
teach the day-spring from on high to come upon this 
earth, and carry forward the first faint dawnings to the 



142 beecher's pulpit deyotio::!s"3. 

glorious consummation, when the knowledge of the lord 
shall fill the earth, and the glory of Christ shall be the 
glory of the whole human family ; and the day cometh 
and tarrieth not, though to us it seems to linger, for our 
whole long life measures but one single step of thine, 
and thou art traveling faster than we know. 

It is our slowness, our brevity, and our ignorance, that 
makes it seem that thou delay est thy coming. We com- 
fort ourselves, and are rejoiced without sight, to believe 
that thou, O blessed Jesus, wilt yet see of the travail of 
thy soul and be satisfied. "We know not what that 
means : but when we look upon thy yearnings, when we 
look into those words of boundless love, when we see thy 
suffering and refusing to shrink, drinking the cup of 
anguish to its very dregs, unwilling to descend from the 
cross, that thou mightest fulfill the desire of thine heart 
in the salvation of the world, we have some conception 
of what that is which thou longest for, and what shall 
be the glory that shall satisfy such love and such desire, 
stronger than suffering or death. And thou shalt be 
satisfied. The reaping shall be a thousand fold more 
than the sowing ; and though we cannot measure nor put 
bounds, nor in any-wise analyze and define what shall be 
this glorious triumph of redeeming grace in the earth, 
we are kindled with great gladness, joy, and gratitude 
toward thee, in believing that there comes yet a popu- 
lous summer in the future, such as the earth hath not 
known, and that the glory of the Lord shall make this 
poor sin-stricken struggling earth, that hath only ruled 
to groan and travail in pain until now — thou shalt make 
it as illustrious, wheeling among the heavenly stars, 
for its joy, its purity, and God's goodness in it, as it hath 
been sad for sorrow and sin and woe, and even weeping. 



JESUS SEEING THE TRAVAIL OF HIS SOUL. 143 

O Lord ! we love to look away, thougli it be into the 
mist made luminous in thee. We love to look at the 
very cloud of thy glory, though it part not, and we do 
not see thee within it. Our souls move within us and 
we are glad. We desire to take comfort in all our part 
of life, in our struggles, and in the little building which 
we are permitted to have. We desire to take comfort 
by a steadfast regard to the future, not curious about 
what is unseen, yet comforting ourselves in the frigid, 
cool realities of the present. We love, O God, to warm 
ourselves by hope in the future; for often and often 
we have realized that we are saved by hope from 
despondency, from discouragement, from repining and 
murmuring, and are clothed afresh and go forward 
rejoicing in a poor naked way. 

And now, O thou blessed One, we pray, while thou 
dost not reveal to us the secrets of thy counsel and all 
the fruit of thy decrees, yet we pray that thou wilt 
manifest to us that which is better, something more of 
thine own self. It is not so much what thou wilt do 
with other worlds, nor with time, nor with thine own 
administration, we desire; we ask to know what thou 
wilt do with thine own and with us. We ask to be 
drawn nearer to thy heart, to understand what it is to 
know something of the love of God, the whole of which 
passes understanding. We desire to have a more near 
and divinely inspired conception of what is the sweet- 
ness, the purity, the faithfulness, and the endurance, of 
the love of Christ to sinful souls. We are creatures 
made up of flesh and passion and appetite ; we have 
selfishness, and pride, and a thousand evil things in us ; 
and we cannot, when our own moral conception is clari- 
fied and beams with the reflected light of vision, we 



144 beecher's pulpit devotions. 

cannot even love our own selves, or approve our- 
selves, and yet thou dost look upon us, and dost love 
us, and thy heart is toward us. All the drawings that 
we have of good, all the pointings of aspiration, all 
the kindling of sparks and flames in u^ are of thee, 
because thou lovest us. Grant us, then, to have some 
conception of what that divinity is that knows how to 
love the sinful, and to purify them out of their sin 
by love, that blessed bath of God in which we are 
washed, and whence we are yet to ascend triumphantly 
white as snow. 

O God, we desire to know something of this love of 
Christ, both as a thing to be thought of and as a thing 
more to be felt. We desire to be redeemed by it ; we 
desire that it may cause all things weak in us, and that 
should be strong, to grow, and that it may cause the 
things that are strong which should be weak, to diminish. 
Grant, we beseech thee, that we may have in thy 
nourishing bosom all that which thou hast taught us of 
thyself in the nourishing by the mother of her child. 
Grant that we may have the feeling of a child ; may we 
belittle children before God ; may we know how to nestle 
in the bosom of thy promises ; how to look up and say, 
against every fear, "Well, it is my father;" may we 
know how to put down every temptation by the feeling 
and warmth of our Father's heart. Grant that we may 
have this entrance into the bright life of love, into this 
peace which passeth all understanding. May we thus 
have the purity wrought in us which love works, begin 
ning to show more and m.ore of God. May we know 
out of whicli window of the soul to look when we would 
descry thee ; and turning from reason, and from all 
powers and passions, may we look out through the orbed 



JESUS SEEING THE TRAVAIL OF HIS SOUL. 145 

glass of faith and love, and tliere behold thee, and gaze 
till the vision grows, till growing it draws near, and 
drawing near it fulfills the promises and comes in and 
abides with us : and so may we feel adopted, and know 
that we are God's beloved children, not because we see 
in ourselves the things that make us worthy to be 
children, but because we have a conception of God that 
teaches us that he can love imperfect and sinful and un- 
lovely creatures; and grant that the thought of God's 
power, God's depth, and the endless abundance of love and 
of its transforming power upon the soul, may grow in us ; 
not so much our thought of worthiness, not so much our 
thought of atonement, not so much any expectancy 
founded upon our will or persistence in good, but may 
we have this feeling — ^that thy mercies are endless, and 
that the power and abundance of thy goodness is beyond 
all expression, or thought, or imagination, and so may 
our life be hid in thine, and as streams flow out from the 
sides of mountains but drops beginning, and rills going 
forward to constitute the broad stream, so from the 
mountain of Zion may all the sources of our life come, 
and may the stream thereof go forth. 

We beseech thee, O Lord, that thou wilt bless with us 
all whom we love, and those whom we ought to love. 
Bless, we beseech thee, the whole family of man. We 
long for that day of bright prediction. Our souls are 
troubled except when we shield and clothe ourselves 
from the thought of what man is doing to man. The 
earth verily is tormented, anl its time has not yet 
come for peace. O thou patient One, O thou wonder- 
ful God of long suffering, either make haste or else give 
us faith to wait ; and grant, we beseech thee, that in our 
lifetime every one of us may cast something into the 
7 



146 

treasury of the Lord. May we all be workers together 
with God for the redemption of this lost world. 

And we beseech thee, that we may have a renewed 
desire to be ourselves pure, noble, heroic, strong and 
constant in all good things. May we fear not the face 
of man nor man's tongue ; may we fear nothing but God ; 
and may we fear thee only because we love thee and 
fear thee in love. May we- be emancipated from all 
other bondage of fear, and so may we grow careless while 
we take care of every duty ; so may we be released from 
fright, apprehension, and all the things that weigh down 
the spirit and consume the marrow of life. In God may 
we be strong, and write upon our banner, " If God be for 
us, who can be against us." 

May all those that preach thy Gospel preach the 
Gospel of Christ ; may it be the Gospel of truth dissolved 
in their own consciousness, and may it not be deductions 
of the letter but the life of the spirit, and may there be 
great power given to thy people. May their joys increase ; 
may thy churches purify themselves, may their light and 
virtues become more and more significant to divine justice, 
purity and truth. May the day hasten when the church, 
which is the universal family of man redeemed, shall 
possess the earth, and the glory of the Lord fill it as the 
waters fill the sea ; and to thy name shall be the praise, 
Father^ Son, and Spirit. Amen. 



SACRAMENTAL SEASON. 



Sahbath Morning. 

INVOCATION. 

Thou art exalted forever; and being God, thou sendest forth innumer- 
able mercies which faU upon the earth as the rain and the light, which 
come not in vain, and return not to thee, but accompUsh the purpose 
whereto thou sendest. Be pleased then out of thine infinite fulness to 
clothe our poverty to-day. Give us bread from our Father's table ; reach 
forth thy hand which hath in it the keys of hfe and death; open the doors 
of our understanding, and open the doors of our hearts, and bring forth 
into life every grateful thought, every sweet and divine affection, and fill 
us this day with the spirit of devotion. May we know how to call thee 
Father, from the swellings of our hearts ; may we know how to thank 
thee, how to rejoice in thee, how boldly to express our gladness and every 
feeUng which comes from our heart toward thee. May we be blest in thy 
word, in its reading and in speaking from it ; may we be blest in prayer ; 
may we know the way as thine angels know it, up through the trackless 
air by faith to thy throne ; may we be blest in the fellowship of song, 
rejoice together, and sing with the innumerable throng that hymn around 
about thee in heaven, joining our imperfect songs to their glorious anthems. 
May the whole earth, and all the realm of the universe praise thee this 
day. "We ask it for Christ's sake. Amen. 

BEFORE SEEMON. 

Thotj, that wert a man of poverty and acquainted with 
grief, art lifted up now above all sorrow, and art draw- 
ing thitherward all thine that are in affliction, tempta- 
tion, trial, an'd difficulty. Thou wilt not permit any to 
be taken out of thy hand ; but wilt keep to the end all 
whom thy Father hath given thee. We rejoice in thy 



148 beecher's pulpit devotions. 

Bupremacy, thy faithfulness, and thy powers. All our hope 
of continuance in good and of victory in the issue of life 
is in thy watching and warfare. 

Thou, O Christ, art appointed the Captain of our 
salvation; following thee we have hope, but without thee 
we can do nothing. Thou art our bread and our rai- 
ment ; thou art the door of our dwelling and the temple ; 
thou art our life, and the sword of our defence ; thon art 
onr friend and onr physician ; thou art our teacher and 
onr deliverer ; thou art our Saviour now, our Redeemer in 
the hour of death and onr final exceeding great reward. 
"We hail and bless thy name this morning; thou hast 
sent this Sabbath that walks with quiet feet and ardent 
brow merging from storm, to teach how thy blessings 
and thy gracious succor come forth from the dark and 
utmost storms. May we read not only the messages of 
thy word, but day by day understand and interpret the 
ways of nature, which, speaking to us, is the reminding 
voice of God. 

We beseech thee that to us this m^j be a day of bright- 
ness, of calmness, and joy. May we have to-day no 
purposes of pride, and none of selfishness, which war 
against thee and against our own souls ; may we lay 
aside all the burdens of care and of distress, and come 
home to our Father's house, and around our Father's 
table, in fellowship one with another. May we dismiss 
the world and all its troubles, that we may sit peace- 
fully and lovingly, trustfully and gladly in the presence 
of our Redeemer. 

O Lord God, thou dost love to house thy children — 
thou dost love to take them to tliat impgrial place in 
thine own heart. Thou dost love, when the world 
thunders round about them and storms upon them, to 



SACRAMENTAL SEASON. 149 

hide tliem in thy pavilion, until the storm be overpast. 
Now grant that this Sabbath day may lift itself np over 
all of us as the pavilion of God. May we dwell in it 
secure, restful and at peace from every piercing fear, 
from every induration and thought of guilt. May we 
have the peace of God. O let the light of thy coun- 
tenance fall tranquilly upon our hearts undisturbed ; 
and whatever may have been our weekly care or trouble, 
to-day may we see God ; to-day may we reach Christ ; 
to-day may we feel that our whole life is instinct 
with the Holy Ghost; and may our affections move 
in harmony with thy will, and our thoughts tend 
upward toward thee. May we have that peculiar and 
unmistakeable blessing of the sanctuary, with which 
thou art wont to enrich and bless thine own dear 
children. 

We beseech thee that thou wilt not only grant this 
consummation, but that it may be for the furtherance 
of our faith, that it may establish us in our trust in thee, 
and that it may give us courage to do right, always, 
and everywhere, and that it may make our faith in thine 
over-ruling providence immutable, so that we shall not 
be turned out of our way by any threat or fear. May 
we not be afraid what man shall do unto us ; for if God 
be for us, who can be against us ? 

Bless, we beseech of thee, according to the wants of 
individual hearts, every one in thy presnce. If any 
have come hither from curiosity, if any bearing bm^dens ; 
yet in the presence of God, may every one be pressed in 
the open and secret recess of his heart to offer up praise 
and thanksgiving, and to make confession of sin. O may 
every one come before thee, that knowest the thoughts 
and intents of the heart, and open it that thou mayest 



150 BEECHER'S PIJLPIT DEVOTIOIS-S. 

survey and search, in it the whole interior life with thy 
cleansing eye. 

Grant, we beseech thee, that we may be able to-day 
as in the presence of God, to consecrate anew every 
power, every affection. May we lift up our plans, which 
we have formed in twilight and are half hidden in their 
moral character from ourselves, and survey them in the 
light of thy countenance. May we look upon all the 
forces and tendencies of our life to-day, and measure 
them again by the truth of God's word. May we stand 
to-day and bear upon ourselves that light of the eternal 
world, that shall throw just light and measurement upon 
all our thoughts and feelings, our habits and processes, 
so that we may to-day indeed meet our God rejoicingly. 
Are any cast down ? Thou hast strength for those that 
will suffer thee to lift them up. Are any pierced and 
bleeding their life away in grief? Thou that hast died in 
unutterable anguish, hast in thy blood balm and remedy 
for every lesser grief that the world shall know. 

Are an}^ in thy presence discouraged and disheartened 
and dissolved within them by shame and conscious guilt ? 
Thou, O Jesus, hast inspired penitence and confidence 
of restoration and purity in thrice ten thousand souls, 
and heaven is full to-day of those that never thought to 
reach it. All through the shining ranks come those 
that are forever and forevermore pouring precious oint- 
ment from the alabaster box of their own hearts ; they 
are redeemed, they are washed, they are cleansed, who 
on earth seemed to themselves soiled to the inmost ; so 
great is thy power to forgive sins, so great is thy power 
to cleanse the conscience and to mend the broken life. O 
grant that there may be none in thy presence, that shall 
cast away God, because they have cast themselves away. 



SACRAMENTAL SEASON. 151 

We beseecli thee tliat thou wilt draw near to those 
that are sordid and burdened with unnecessary care, 
who take care with unnecessary burden; we pray 
they may learn every day to love the things that 
are placed for them as duties, and may they perform 
their task each day in the name of God ; may they 
learn how to bear trouble for Christ's sake, and so 
find some sweetness in it. We beseech thee that they 
may feel, in having their way in the wilderness, that 
while they are removing tlieir obstacles, they meet many 
precious vines with clusters most refreshing, that they 
press many odorous things that give them fragrance 
by the way, and so may they toil on, content if it be thy 
will to labor in things that are poor and humble, to bear 
burdens as good soldiers, looking not here but hereafter 
for rest and reward. 

We beseech thee, O God, that thou wilt grant, if there 
are any in thy presence who know not which way to look 
for the East, show them at last the bright and the morn- 
ing star. Gazing upon that, ere long bring them forth and 
suffuse them with the light of the rising sun of Right- 
eousness, with healing in his beams. If any are strug- 
gling with themselves at times like mariners over blown 
of storms and seemingly about to go down ; if any are 
struggling to overcome old habits, to staunch corrupt 
inclinations, to put down all wicked tendencies ; if there 
are any that seem to themselves at times almost cast- 
aways, may they be led into the bosom of Christ ; may 
they go nowhere else, but steer right to thine heart. It 
is a stone of stumbling to those that break upon it, but 
a rock of defence to those that come by faith. Grant 
that every one of us may know how, more nearly than 
the favored disciple, to lay our head upon the bosom of 



152 beecher's pulpit devotio^^s. 

Jesus, and there may our cares fly, and all our troubles 
be huslied, and our soul find its rest. 

Bless all that worship to-day in other congregations ; 
strengthen thy dear servants to preach the truth as it is 
in Jesus. Restrain all temptations that beset thy church ; 
give victory to thy. people in all the struggles that they 
maintain in the name of Jesus. Grant that the whole 
earth may speedily see thy salvation ; and may the glory 
of the Lord shine as the sun traveling in the greatness 
of his strength. May we depart speaking a better speech 
of Christ, and when these seats are no longer filled with 
our forms, may our children and their children rise up 
and take our places and carry forward thy work ; and 
when all our worldly experiences' end, and our history 
closes here, may it open with grace and glory in heaven, 
there to go on unto perfection ; and to thy name shall be 
the praise. Father, Son and, Spirit. Amen. 



STRENGTH rST GOD. 



SabbatTi Morning. 

INYOCATION. 

OuB Father — Grant us that blessing, without which we shall remain in 
darkness, as those that are blind. Quicken us, that we may discern 
thee. ^Move our affections, that leaving mere earthly influences, they 
may begin to Hft themselves up this morning to seek thee, and fasten 
devotedly upon thee. Bless the reading of thy word, and may it be as 
the bread of God handed down to our want. Bless the union of prayer, 
and may we have our petitions suggested by thy Spirit, that they may 
be granted. Bless us in giving thanks, especially in songs of thanks- 
giving and praise ; and in our endeavors for instruction from thy word 
may we have thy guidance ; may the exercises of the sanctuary, and of 
our several homes this day be divinely accepted and blest. We ask it for 
Christ's sake. Amen. 

BEFORE SERMON. 

Thou art a very present help in time of trouble, O 
thou that art the salvation of the earth and the Saviour 
of men. Therefore will we put our trust in thee. We 
lean upon other things which thou hast appointed, but 
their strength is of God ; and thou art beneath every 
thing, and dost lift up every thing that is able to stand 
with thine own strength ; and thou givest thy people 
faith to discern that all strength is of God, so that we 
are enabled to feel that thou art in every thing, and that 
all the attributes and uses of human life and of nature 
itself are of God. We rejoice that the savor of thine 
own self is in all the earth, and rejoice that we by faith 
7* 



154 BEECHEr's pulpit DEV0TI02^S. 

know thee. We have been enlightened by the word of 
God, and by the teaching of the Spirit through the 
word. 

We rejoice that now our reading of trnth is augmented, 
and we go forth from that Holy Scripture able to under- 
stand what thou hast written in the work of nature, 
that primal revelation, but which men were not able to 
nnderstand aright. We rejoice, O God, that thou art con- 
tinuing from day to day to turn some leaves, and giving 
us further knowledge ; that we are permitted to grow in 
grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour 
Jesus Christ. We mourn that we have had so little 
growth, and borne so little fruit, and that so poor ; and 
we desire, quickened by thee, encouraged by thy smiles, 
nourished and drawn mightily forward by thy gentleness, 
O Lord God, we desire in times yet to come, to be more 
and more perfect disciples. We rejoice that time itself 
is developing strength, and that in the natural unfold- 
ings of our soul, if we are guided by thy strength, we 
are coming into those states in which more knowledge 
is possible, greater depths of feeling, and a wider round 
of experience. 

And we desire, O Lord Jesus, to be taken by the hand 
and led into all truth. May we not arrest thee by our 
pride ; may we not be given over to the folly of conceit, 
thus thinking we know more than all, when we know 
nothing. May we have that spirit of little children, by 
which we shall know how to confide before we know 
the reasons of confidence. May we ever find toward • 
thee an open heart of belief, of trust, of love. May we 
live by that faith which works by love. Purify us, we 
beseech thee, from the power of the flesh. May we 
know how to control ourselves, so that our whole soul 



stre:n^gth IX god. 155 

and body may be sanctified. May we desire to carry 
about whatever thou hast given us, whatever endow- 
ments, and whatever organization, as a gift of God, most 
precious, and consecrated to his service: 

We beseech thee, that thou wilt help us in the several 
allotments and ajipointments of our life, where thou hast 
sent us. Thou hast need of w^itnesses in every place. 
Thou art teaching the world, and the worlds to come 
that are spectators, what is the immense diversity of thy 
grace in thy people ; and art unfolding from the human 
race in their several positions, something of that infinite 
tr^sure that is in thine own soul's goodness. May every 
one of us understand, when we are in peculiar relations 
and circumstances, that it is because we are there to 
bear witness which no one else can bear. We pray, for 
Christ's sake, that we may study the things that are just 
and true, the things that are meek and pure, the things 
that are gentle and patient, the things that are living and 
right. We pray that we may be guided by sight so far 
as that is best, and by faith where sight fails, and where 
neither sight nor faith avail us, where we know not at 
all, nor even imagine, may we be guided by the presence 
of that all-surrounding Providence. Do thou think for 
us, and may we be saved by thy knowledge. 

We beseech thee that thou wilt teach us how to look 
upon each other as of one household, not merely those 
that are confederated in the bonds of one church cove- 
nant, but as those who love the Lord Jesus Christ. May 
we feel that we are a common household. May we not 
vex each other, nor selfishly follow our own sectional 
ends, but may we live in sweet fellowship with thee, in- 
divisible ; and we beseech thee to teach us how to look 
upon all mankind with that same pitifulness that thou 



156 peecher's pulpit devotions. 

hast. May we ever feel that all are created in the image 
of God, and destined to live with God eternally. 

Grant, we beseech of thee, that the sight of our eyes 
may affect our hearts as we pass through this world, as 
a vale of tears ; may it not be onrs to ravage, to destroy, 
to oppress, to appropriate, to hoard, and perpetuate the 
misery that already hath lingered too long ; but may we 
be the children of grace, and diffuse on every side the odor 
of peace, the reasons of purity, and the influences of love ; 
and may we be workers together with God, in the redemp- 
tion of this world. We pray that thou wilt bless the 
instrumentalities which thy people have appropriated to 
the great objects of benevolence in this world. Bless 
those that labor among the poor and ignorant, that train 
the young and turn them early from the ways of vice and 
crooked crime into the straight way of justice and purity. 

Be with those, we pray, that in foreign lands preach an 
unsearchable gospel to the heathen ; may they be built 
up themselves in holy faith, and may the power of godli- 
ness inspire their labor and give it success. Be with 
those, we beseech thee, everywhere, that are diffusing the 
word of truth, and sending abroad the glorious Gospel 
of Jesus Christ. We pray that thou wilt build up thy 
kingdom in every form. Diffuse more and more the 
spirit of the gospel into secular affairs. May all institu- 
tions of law and justice, may all governments and organi- 
zations of the world conform themselves to the spirit of 
Christ, and represent the spirit of his gospel, and that 
day be hastened when war shall cease, and slavery as 
darkness fly away ; when all misdeeds shall pass and be a 
thing but remembered, and the glory of the Lord fill the 
earth as the waters fill the sea. And to thv name shall 
be the praise, Father, Son, and Spirit. Amen. 



DEPENDENCE. 



AN EVEXING PRATER. 

We thank thee, our Father, that thou hast not cast lis 
forth from heaven in thy wrath ; we are not born into 
this world as though we had fallen headlong ; thou hast 
sent us hither that thou mightest bring us back again in 
the day of thy glory with joy and everlasting triumph. 
Nor wilt thou suifer us to be overborne nor tempted 
beyond that which vf e are able to bear. Thou wilt open 
a door of escape ; thou wilt lead us forth out of our sin 
and out of our transgression ; thou wilt heal the love of 
sin in us ; thou wilt by thine own blessed spirit work in 
us mightily to will and to do of the things which are 
pleasing to thee. We thank thee for this assurance of 
thy providence ; for this certainty of thy grace ; for this 
wonder and wealth of thy love ; for this thoughtfulness 
in our behalf. How great is the sum of thy thoughts of 
us ! How precious when they come to our realization ; 
that thou dost think of us, and think to love, and love 
* to succor and redeem. We cannot reach the height and 
the glory of this, but we receive it gladly. This is the 
succor which we need. 

Much as we can do in this life, and are made to do 
for ourselves ; much as we can help one another, thou, 
O God, art yet needful for us. We need thee, that we 



158 beecher's pulpit devotions. 

may rest; we need thee that we may be raised up out 
of rest ; we need thee that we may be able to discharge 
the duties which are incumbent upon us one among 
others in life ; we need thee more that we may not be 
held down to earth by our daily duties, but that we may 
learn from them to rise to higher conceptions of life and 
ideals of character, that we may be able to take hold 
upon the invisible and eternal truths of thy kingdom. 
We need thee every day; we need thee sleeping or 
waking. When we lie down and cannot think for our- 
selves, we are safest ; then most we need thee when we 
rise up and begin to go forth and act upon our own 
judgments, and are open to ten thousand temptations ; 
we need thee in the things which we do best, and how 
much more in all other things ! 

And now, we beseech thee, that it may not seem tons 
either terrible or hard that we should open the door of 
the soul and call thee in to dwell with us. May we 
'desire above all other things to be guided by thee ; may 
we desire those things that most nearly represent thy 
will ; may we not sit down in our own complacency^, nor 
flatter ourselves with the opinions of others, nor live 
under any servile obedience to the things that now are, 
and are of esteem among men. Be thou discerned of us, 
and reveal thyself to every one. May we be dissatisfied 
with ourselves, with our past lives, yet not in a repining 
spirit, but may we forget the things that are behind, and 
may we reach upward and press forward. We beseech 
of thee that thou wilt bless us according to our several 
necessities. With some there is a strife of pride ever- 
more, but thou hast j)ity on the proud ; thou wilt help 
them, and dost love to help rather than punish, if they 
will permit thee. There are those that are made weak 



DEPEXDE]S'CE. 159 

by their vanity every day, and led by it into transgres- 
sion. We beseech of thee that thou wilt teach them 
how to wage that battle of faith which belongs peculiarlj^- 
to them, and may they look at those things as thou dost, 
and see that their life lies where most is to be overcome; 
and may they not wish that they were others, or that 
their circumstances were changed, or that any thing was 
different but purity. May they long for greater man- 
hood, for more holiness before God, and may they accept 
their circumstances and their discipline as the means 
which thou dost point to them of grace. We beseech of 
thee that thou wilt bless those that are exercised particu- 
larly with worldly care, and in its midst find themselves 
drawn away and tempted, and overcome by temptations. 
Remember any that find themselves mourning tlie 
violation of their own moral sense, who see how far their 
feet slide, who know how irreconcilable with the law of 
God is the life they have lived, but who spend their 
time in repentance. 

We beseech of thee that thou wilt help them to set up 
thy banner, which is victorious over temptation and over 
the adversary. We beseech of thee that thou wilt give 
them such confirmation in good that they may at last 
bemn to build hio;her than their foes can reach, and 
beyond the reach of any more unsettling. 

If there are those in thy presence, that by ignorance 
or heedless mistakes, who, by courses of folly and wicked- 
ness in times past, are suffering severe penalties and 
trouble, we pray that they may not spend their time in 
useless murmuring, that they may not rebel against the 
past, but rather may they take hope of thee, and with all 
their heart turn to the living God, and find in a newness 
of life that peace which they cannot find in tlie present 



100 beecher's pulpit deyotio^^s. 

nor in the remembrances of the past ; and may every one 
have hope in thee. May none feel that they are in a 
state withont hope; the most guilty, the most wicked, 
those that have sinned longest, and deepest, and darkest, 
may they remember that there is a grace of God in Christ 
Jesns even to them, to those afar off as well as to those 
tliat are near. O make thine atoning mercy and the 
glory of thy forgiving goodness apparent unto every one, 
and may every one be able to see that, in proportion as 
they are forgiven, according to the magnitude of their 
iniquity and the greatness of their transgression will be 
the glory transcending which thou wilt have, if thou 
showest mercy nnto them ; and while we doubt ourselves, 
and while we may distrust one another, and while at 
times all things seem unstable and unsatisfactory, O save 
us from that last and w^orst disaster, distrusting thee ; 
may our faith in God be immutable, and even when we 
are so guilty that we cannot look up, at least may we 
be able to bow the head, to smite upon our breasts, and 
say, '' God be merciful to us sinners." And if we dare not 
sit by thee in thy throne, if we dare not come to thee as 
children to the knees of their parents, and look up, at 
least may we sit down at thy feet, and find there that 
we are sitting at the feet of a Redeemer, pitying, gentle, 
forgiving, all-succoring. We pray that none may be 
discouraged ; may every one accept his life-work ; may 
every one, undismayed and undaunted, go forward from 
good to better, from strength to strength. We beseech 
of thee that thou will make us useful ; while we are 
seeking for our own growth, may we not treasure up 
strength gained, or experie]^ces, or joys, for our own 
selfish using, but as we receive so may we give. May 



i>epende:jsce. 161 

our whole life be a life of seed-sowing; may our wliols 
life be a work for God and for man. 

We praj that thou wilt bless all the churches that name 
the name of Christ in this city. Wilt thou strengthen them 
to do thy work ; redeem all that are called by thy name, 
and make them lovely. May thy servants that preach 
the gospel be inspired of God to preach it ; may the 
witness of thy Spirit go with the preaching of the truth. 
Wilt thou search the hearts of thy servants as with a 
lighted candle ; reveal to them their true nature, and the 
significance of their whole life. We pray that thou wilt 
go forth through our whole land, deepening the founda- 
tions of piety, raising up greater zeal for God, more purity 
of intention and of life, and filling this whole land with 
the power of the Gospel of Christ. May we be saved 
from a dead-letter gospel ; may we be saved from the 
formalism of un vital institutions ; may we be saved from 
the timidity of men ; may we be filled with a sacred, a 
holy, a burning zeal of Christ, and may love temper it, 
and restrain it, and only that, and so may this land see 
the salvation of our God. Pity the condition of the 
world ; make haste, thou that lingerest not, but seemest 
to linger, because thou livest so long. Make haste, we 
beseech of thee, even by reason of our infirmity, for we 
wait for thee, and our eyes fail for thy salvation. O kin- 
dle the morning, then, and bid the light advance, and 
the glory of the nations, that we may take hold upon thy 
promises, and interpret them in the Kght of growing 
events, until the day shall come to be seen by us, either 
from earth or from heaven, when the glory of the Lord 
shall fill the earth as the waters fill the sea. And to thy 
name shall be the praise, Father, Son, and Spirit, ever- 
more. 



CLOSING PRAYER. 

Our Father, wilt thou add thy blessing to the word spoken. Grant 
that it may do good to us all. May it encourage us to undertake a release 
from evil. May it encourage us to undertake the assailing of habits long 
formed. May we not be discouraged because the labor of the way before 
us is so great, or because of past failures. And grant, Lord God, that 
we may look up at the infiniteness of thy patience. Thou art long-suf- 
fering, thou art wonderful, and full of graciousness ; and we pray that 
we may take heart, not from what we can do, but from that great sum- 
mer which shines and distills the divine influence upon us perpetually. 
Grant, thou divine Light and Warmth, thou Sun of righteousness, that 
thy beams may shine with cheer and nutriment upon all that are here 
present to-day. May there be many that shall be called by the goodness 
of God to repentance. May there be many who have been seeking thee, 
that shall girt their loins with fresh alacrity. May there be many who 
are discouraged in the way and are lagging that shall be gathered up, and 
that shall begin to work again with new zeal. Revive thy work in our 
hearts, and in all the churches throughout the land. We ask it for the 
Redeemer's sake. Amen. 



GOD'S GOODNESS TO THE ILL-DESERYING. 



AN EYENINra SERYICE. 



While we are walking in darkness, thou, O our light 
and life, art in the nnelouded heaven. With ns are 
storms ; with thee is everlasting peace. Breathe forth of 
thy life and peace npon ns, that we may be undisturbed 
by fear ; that we may be kept quiet amidst all those con- 
tests and collisions which disturb men ; that we may not 
be swung to and fro as the pendulum vibrating inces- 
santly. May we have that peace that passeth all under- 
standing, which no sorrow or anxiety can long disturb, 
which no greed, or avarice, or discontent, can take away. 
May we feel the warmth of thy love, the certainty of thy 
promises, and the glory of that wealth which is ours 
because we are thine — the nearness of the promised land 
into which we may almost look, and upon which we 
shall ere long step. 

Grant that we may not be puffed up, as other men are ; 
nor, as they are, cast down and dejected because our ^^ur- 
poses are ended and our way is turned upside down. 
For, are we not included by all the promises of God, 
which are yea and amen ? Hast thou not circled us around 
about with bands that are stronger than walls of stone, 
and sharper than the very fire itself? Hast thou not 
made us the objects of thine own heart's desire^ and have 
we not the love of God and the faithfulness of God as 



164 beecher's pulpit devotioks, 

pledges for our safety; for our conduct through this 
world and our everlasting safety in the world to come ? 
Since we were born, upon^what have our sorrows stum- 
bled ? What have been the sources of our sorrow and 
growth? Mostly but vain desires, but conflicts of pride, 
but the manifestations of selfishness. How have we 
found our lower natures checking us, when we have been 
by thy power, by thy grace, and by thy truth, lifted up 
into the realm of our religious feelings, and so brought 
near to thee ! Thou evermore hast made us walk upon 
all trouble, and keep it beneath us, to despise the vain 
things of this life, and yet to count it all joy when we 
fall into trials and temptations, to rejoice even in afflic- 
tions — to sing at midnight, and walk in the light, though 
our lamp had gone out. 

Thou, O God, canst work wonderfully in the hearts of 
those that put their trust in thee. To this we are thy 
witnesses ; we bear testimony to thy faithfulness, to thy 
gentleness, and to thy power for good, succoring and en- 
couraging us every day — yet punishing us in thy faith- 
fulness when rods and stripes are the best medicine. 
Thou art not tender to indulge us ; thou art not stern and 
just to distress and destroy us ; thou art tempering thy 
justice by mercy, and thou art by love and mercy, by 
justice and by judgment, by all the motives of hope and 
of fear, by commands and by persuasions, through nature, 
through the daily progress of our lives in society, through 
all the influences of truth upon our souls, in our medi- 
tating hours, and in our Sabbaths of rest, by ten thou- 
sand instrumentalities in all periods of time, thou art 
educating us and preparing us for our residence in thine 
own immediate presence ; for thou hast made us thine 
own, and it is known in heaven that we are coming 



god's goodness to the rLL-DESERTING. 165 

thitlier, and thou wilt yet present ns before the throne 
of thy Father, spotless, without any blemish, or wrinkle, 
or any such thing. 

And now we bless thy name, we laud and magnify 
thee ; thou art the high and the holy God, thou art of 
purer eyes tlian to behold iniquity, but blessed be thy 
name thou hadst rather heal than punish us. We bless 
and praise thy goodness, tliy benignity, thy patience, thy 
lenity, thy justice, and thy sparing mercy, which have 
made our lives rich and our hearts so hopeful. Bless, we 
beseech thee, all in thy presence. Thou knowest what 
are the thoughts and meditations of them that come forth 
before thee; thou knowest what ones of them are good. 
Meet every heart, not according to its petition, which is 
of ignorance, but according to thy glorious knowledge. 
Think for us better than we can think for ourselves ; feel 
for us more truly and worthily than we know how to feel 
for ourselves^ and then do exceeding abundantly more 
for us than we can ask or think. 

Bless those that are not gathered with us. If any are 
absent from home, spare their lives, prosper them in law- 
ful errands, and bring them back to their own house and 
to their sanctuary again. Bless any that have been 
abroad and come again with thanksgivings, praising, and 
blessing God for sparing mercy. Are any sick? But 
what is sickness hut GocVs medicine^ and then hest when 
it is mortal ! We beseech thee that thou wilt cheer and 
comfort any that are languishing ; give them visions of 
the far-coming land, and may all of us count ourselves 
strangers in this world, then only at home when we rest 
with God. Help those that bear burdens, to be patient 
and to be strong ojnder their burdens. Help those that 
are grieved and wounded of heart, to look up unto him, 



166 beecher's pulpit devotions. 

whose hands and side were pierced for them, and learn 
of him. 

Grant to every one, we entreat, the mercies they need for 
deliverance, and the mercies that they need for riches in 
Christ; and when we shall have passed through the 
scenes of this mortal life and draw near to the celestial 
gate, may it stand open ready for ns, and may we see a 
choral host waiting to give ns an abundant entrance into 
heaven. May none of us or of ours knock at the celes- 
tial gate and hear from thee the fatal words, "I never 
knew you, depart from me ye that work iniquity ;'' but 
may we stand ransomed, purified, and saved in thy 
presence, and we will give to the Father, the Son, and 
the Holy Spirit the praise of our salvation forever and 
for evermore. Amen. 



GOD THE ONLY OBJECT OF TRUST. 



Sabbath Morning. 

INVOCATION. 

Our heavenly Father 1 Already thou hast blessed us and anticipated 
our asking. "We recognize thine hand that opens the morning; we 
recognize thy bounty that gives to us the rest which this day is wont to 
bring. ^ And now we are gathered in this appointed place, which has been 
made dear to us by thy grace in days past, that again we may receive the 
Holy Ghost — known by all desires inspired by thee, by wholesome in- 
struction received by its ministration, by all joy and peace in beheving. 
Wilt thou therefore minister to us thine own self. Thou art life, and 
they that possess thee hav^e every thing that life can give. May the 
reading of thy word, may the singing of thy praises, may the ministry of 
prayer, may the speech of instruction or meditation of truth all profit 
our souls in glorifying thee. Wo ask it for the Redeemer's sake. Amen. 

BEFORE SERMON. 

Thou art the eternal God. Before thee there is none 
else: no authority higher than thine; no power like 
nnto thine ; no wisdom that is not borrowed from thee. 
Thou art the center and the source of existence, and we 
rejoice that we may believe, since in thee we live and 
move and have our being, that thou art full of goodness, 
that love is thy nature, that all thine administration is 
for the purpose of infinite love. 

We are not wandering in darkness and forgetfulness ; 
we are not cast into the midst of confusions and undi- 
rected turmoils of life. Thou sittest regent : all things 



beecher's ptjlpit devotions. 



are naked and open before tliee, and thou beh^ldest the 
end from the beginning. In thy hand the most complex 
things are simple ; the strangest things to our thought 
are plain to thine. Thou wilt restrain the wrath of man, 
and cause the remainder of wrath to praise thee; and 
the things that run adverse, all those causes which con- 
flict in time, we shall behold them from the other side ; 
and in the order of eternity all things shall then appear 
wise, nothing fugitive, nothing erratic. 

It is our joy that we may believe thus in thee, O thou 
God of our salvation, that art higher than all men, than 
princes, than kings : thou art thyself the Lord of lords, 
and the King of kings. All things are beneath thee, not 
that they may be trampled down, but that thou mayest 
look benignantly upon them from thine infinite excel- 
lence, from the height of thy glory, and conserve them. 
We believe that it is in thine heart to bring forth 
unspeakable good, transcending far the measure of our 
thought or any tracing of our imagination. Nor do we 
desire to guide thee by our thoughts, nor prescribe in 
our own feeling the way that thou shouldst come. We 
simply desire to look up and adore — to believe, to trust, 
to love, to obey. 

O Lord, when we look upon the face of things, and 
attempt to judge thee by sight, how quickly are we re- 
buked by the darkness and the confusion of our own 
minds — even the things most familiar to us deceive us, 
even the tilings most common are inexplicable. All the 
ways of life are convoluted ; all the affairs of men are 
liable to such disasters and apparent minglings, that we 
cannot understand the course of things. We read thy 
providence in the history of nations with amazement; we 
behold the current affairs of life with awe and wonder ; 



GOD THE OIS^LY OBJECT OF TKUST. 169 

and if we were to establish our faitli in the destiny of 
man, in the perfection of the race, in the growth of 
truth and purity, on that which has been and that which 
is, how should we falter at every step ! We must live 
by faith and not by sight. 

We rejoice that our God is so great, that it is no im- 
peachment of our wisdom to say that we cannot under- 
stand his ways. If thou wert to be understood easily, 
then thou would st be but little more than a man ; and 
as thou art the God of the universe and the Father of 
ages, and we desire to understand our relative place, 
and to know that thou art moving upon the spheres of 
eternity, and not upon the lines of this globe and of our 
eras of time, we desire to take thee as the Lord God 
Almighty, comprehensive over all conception, endless, 
dateless. Before we can send back a thought, thy gov- 
ernment was supreme ; from periods beyond all concep- 
tion, thou still wert the eternal God ; and to the end thou 
shalt be forever unfolding by thy works what thou art, 
forever endlessly creating and sustaining and never 
exhausted. 

And we desire, O Lord, to be so in sympathy with 
thee, that we may hold on for ever with thee, though 
born of yesterday never to die. We rejoice that we are 
to be thy children and of thy household, and that no dis- 
aster can come to us so long as thou art supreme. " Iso 
weapon formed against thee, shall prosper," thou sayest 
unto thy people, and we believe that it is so, and that it 
shall be so ; and while we cannot understand the 
history of thy church upon earth, nor fully comprehend 
the history of nations, nor understand the providences of 
the times in which we live, nor the influences that are 
operating upon human affairs, we do understand that 



170 beechek's pulpit DEVOHONS. 

thy kingdom may be established in every heart, and 
that while there is confusion withont, peace there 
may be within ; and while we cannot understand 
thee on the earth, we can understand thee in onr ovv-n 
Bouls. 

And now, we beseech thee that every one of us may 
attempt to build up the world, by building so much of 
it as lies in our own character, in our own development. 
May we feel that it is ours to put one more fair stone on 
the walls of Jerusalem on earth, and thus aid in perfect- 
ing this growing structure. May we, therefore, become 
more conscientious and equitable, more pnre and moral, 
more truthful and truth-loving ; may we be clothed 
with love as with a garment ; may we have an active 
and vital sympathy with thee ; may we learn to discern 
thy ways by a holy intuition. May we know what is 
right and what is wrong among disputed things ; never 
seek to be less than that which is already believed to be 
right, but always strive to overmeasure and rise to yet 
nobler conceptions of rectitude. May we make justice 
more just, purity more pure, and love yet more refined ; 
and may we never seek to shield ourselves by excuses, 
nor to hide behind weaknesses, and variously explain 
delinquencies. 

We pray that thou wilt remember every one of thy 
people before thee in their special and common wants. 
Be near to those that are pas&ing the last days of their 
lives upon earth, that are glorifying God with the going 
down of their sun. Let them compose their minds with 
peace and with joy, and grant that they may by antici- 
pation take hold of the rest which remaineth for the 
people of God ; and we pray that their testimony and 
example and encouragement to the young, may be such 



GOD THE ONLY OBJECT OF TRUST. I7l 

as to make them evermore examples and leaders in the 
host of God. 

Semember those npon whom are the burdens of life. 
O make them rest who carry the yoke ; and those who 
are in the midst of suffering, and who from day to 
day are vehemently exercised with various duties, may 
they be strong in the Lord, diligent in business, fervent 
in spirit, serving the Lord. May they learn how to serve 
thee by their daily duties; may they know how to look 
upon their secular affairs as a part of that winch God 
requires at their hand ; and may they be in the discharge 
of those things so imbued with justice, with truth, and 
with love, that it shall be a perpetual religious service. 
Thus may they never have occasion to pass from the 
sanctuary to the world, but may the world itself become 
their sanctuary, and their altar everywhere, with their 
God forever present with them. 

W"e beseech of thee that thou wilt look upon those 
that are growing up into life and are beginning now to 
take hold upon manhood. O let them make no fatal 
missteps, lest they be dashed in pieces from the very 
beginning ; let them not listen to false teachings ; 
especially may they not listen to their guilty passions, 
or be misled as to faith and truth by the suggestion 
of corrupt hearts, but may they from the morning of 
life be consecrated in all truth and honor to the cause 
of Jesus Christ. May they take care of each other, and 
may the young care for the young. Bless, we beseech 
thee, our children. Thou hast made us to know many 
things by reason of them; they have taught us more 
than we have ever taught them. 

We thank thee that thus thou hast opened our hearts 
to know the great things out of thy law of love ; that thy 



172 beechek's pulpit devotions. 

word has its perpetual ministry in our houseliOld, and 
that thou hast united us together as husbands and wives, 
parents and children — that in our own daily versatile 
experience we might understand the word of God to us 
who are the children of God, of God who is the Father 
of every living creature. We pray that thou wilt help 
us to rear our children as God would rear us, teaching 
and taught, receiving from them much by their silent 
example, and yielding much to them by our own ex- 
ample. May we be faithful to our trust ; may we not 
be misled to weakness through overfondness of affec- 
tion for them, but may our love be chastened ; may 
we learn to take them in the light of the eternal world, 
and behold their immortality even in their infancy. 

Sanctify the family ; and grant, we beseech of thee, that 
it may be a gate of heaven to every one of us. Bless us 
in our association one with another ; may we have more 
and more noble conceptions of the relations of friend- 
ship. May we every day cleanse and purify ourselves 
from all the vulgarities, from all the selfishness, and from 
all the meanness to which we are liable by our contact 
with this world. May we get higher conceptions than 
those which we have of duty one toward another, and of 
all the duties of affection and of true friendship. May 
there spring from the heart of Christ in the heart of 
every one of his children more and more nobility of 
purpose, more and more heroism of conception, more 
and more manliness of life. 

Are there any that are looking wistfully into this 
sanctuary ? are there any that do not believe the 
things that make us supremely joyful ? O Lord we 
beseech thee that they may understand, not by the 
power of reflection, but may they be taught that true 



GOD THE ONLY OBJECT OF TRUST. 1/3 

wisdom is in experience, and may they seek tlie things 
that are pure as God interprets purity — things that are 
wise as thou dost interpret wisdom — things that are 
generous, noble, and good ; and from some experience in 
these things may they begin to learn their truth, and so 
through the realizations of love may they come to the 
conceptions of truth. And we beseech thee thou wilt 
fulfill thy kind depigns and purposes toward all mankind, 
hastening the day when men shall have their reason so 
high that they may cast oflT prejudice, and selfishness and 
all that is hateful and divisive ; and may all the earth 
begin to find the drawings of love ; and all men begin to 
help mankind. May all the earth begin to bear witness 
that God is coming in his final power to give ripeness 
to the race ; and may all things that are offensive, and 
selfish, and proud, and hateful, and cruel, begin to sink in 
power, and all things that are refined in wisdom, good- 
ness, love, and purity, begin to gain front and strength. 
O hasten, thou that from on high art the God of 
battles, not of clashing battles of steel and iron, but thou 
that dost contend in the heavens and upon the earth, and 
round about the universe, in that great and universal 
conflict between good and evil — -make haste that the 
final glory maybe consummated, that the earth may rest 
as a ship long tempest-tossed and not comforted — rest 
when at length it finds its peaceful harbor. O bring 
this world at last to the bosom of Christ, and there may 
it find that anchorage and peace which it has so long 
sought in vain in its course. And all the glory of this 
victory, and all the glory of our own salvation therein, 
we will give to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. 
Amen. 



CLOSING PRAYER. 

Our Father, wilt thou bless the word of truth spoken; let it not leave 
us barren and profitless ; may it do us good in the inward man ; conse- 
crate the fountain of feeling, and educate the thoughts, motives, and feel- 
ings. Deliver us, we beseech thee, from arrogance and all uncharitableness ; 
make us temperate and unfeignedly kind and forbearing to all men, only 
exacting and unrelenting toward ourselves. Bless those that are in 
darkness; bless those that are mistaken, and committing through their 
own sins and mistakes great iniquities. Turn them back from their folly 
and give them that illumination which thou hast been pleased to pour 
down round about us. We beseech thee that thou wilt grant to this city, 
to the great city, and to this nation, the power of the Holy G-host. Season 
men's thoughts with divine grace, and overrule their counsels ; may 
wicked men find themselves shorn of influence, and may wise men be 
called of G-od to lead forth this people in the ways of righteousness. We 
ask that thou wilt exercise the plenitude of that sovereignty which is 
with thee in all the world. 0, grant that nations may be reformed, and 
that they may become civilized and exalted ; and that Christ may see 
of the travail of his soul and be satisfied ; and to thy name shall be the 
praisC; Father, Son, and Spirit. Amen. 



PRECIOUSNESS OF THE SABBATH. 



Sabbath Morning, 

IXVOCATIOX. 

We implore thy blessing, our heavenly Father, that all the things which 
we do in thy house may be divinely inspired and guided. Open thy word 
that it may be as the opening morning upon the night, that the clear 
shining may drive the darkness of our worldly thoughts and cares away. 
Touch our hearts that all that is within us may rise up and rejoice this 
morning before thee. May we be inspired with a spirit of union, and find it 
easy to say^ *' Our Father." Aid us while we sing together, in fellowship 
one with another and in Ivorship of thee. Help us to speak from thy 
truth and to accept its exposition. Help us in the worship we offer thee 
in the silence of our thoughts or in our social relations at home. Bless 
this Sabbath day wholly, in all its parts and in all its blessed joy and 
pleasure. We ask it for Christ's sake. Amen. 

BEFORE SERIIOX, 

We beseech tliee, O God, to sliine upon us witL. tliat 
divine light which ilhimines within, which gives thought 
and affection, and power to seize upon higher truths ; for 
we are living in a world which touches ns on every side 
through our senses and by the senses, and we need to 
have the power of God to develop that faith in ns by 
which we shall recognize the truth that does not belong 
to ourselves. 

It is good for ns, O Lord, that thou hast cast this 
island in the stream, and builded the Sabbath all aronnd 
wherein we-^tand and are secure. No sound of secular 



176 beecher's pulpit devotion's. 

occupation disturbs us ; we are at rest. And now we 
lift up our unwonted tliouglits into themes which the 
week disallows, and have leisure of meditation, and can 
draw very near to thee and abide under the shadow of 
thy wing. !N"ow we are no longer chafed and fretted by 
care ; we are no longer heated by rivalries one with 
another ; we can look out as from a window and see the 
storm of worldly things out of which we have come, and 
pass judgment upon them, and measure again our 
thoughts and our joys — yea, search into the deep places 
of our heart and know our own selves before thee. 

'Now we stand in the sanctuary, and we can measure 
all things by the golden reed thereof. We are per- 
mitted to judge now what is the real worth of 
pleasure ; we are permitted now to judge as before God 
all the various experiences of affection. Thou dost now 
make it possible for us to pass the line upon all our 
worldly avocations, and see them somewhat as we shall 
see them in the judgment. And thou dost with attrac- 
tion draw our earliest affections up ; now thou art reveal- 
ing to us thy reconciled face; now thou art making 
Christ Jesus to draw very near, the chief among ten 
thousand, the one altogether lovely. N^ow thou art 
interpreting to us his faithfulness, his patience, his 
wonder of gentleness ; thou art already breathing upon 
us the spirit of adoption, and our hearts begin to repeat 
that sacred name, Ouk Father, and we rejoice in this 
precious property of thee. All things are ours since 
thou art ours; and we rejoice that we are so com- 
prehended in thee that we need not look for reasons of 
our salvation to any merit in ourselves, to any reason 
within us why thou shouldst regard us. We are poverty- 
stricken, but thou findest in the royalty of thine own 



PRECIOUSNESS OF THE SABBATH. 17? 

nature reasons of loving by whicli we are buoyed up and 
saved ; so that we pray for mercy for Christ's sake, since 
in liim is fullness of generosity, of love unquenchable 
and unfathomable — the height and the depth, the length 
and the breadth whereof surpass all understanding. 

Indeed, we cannot understand why thou, O sacred 
heart, shouldst love us, and what is the nature and 
royalty of God that can love unlovely things, and what 
is the nature of that being before whom ages pass leaving 
neither weariness nor marks, the same yesterday, to-day, 
and forever — unchanged and unchangeable. We can- 
not understand the fullness, though we do perceive some- 
what of the glory, and we rejoice in it, and we glory in 
our God. We glory not in our own strength, nor 
because wealth has increased, nor in earthly honors and 
pleasures, nor because we have builded our house and 
stored it full and substantially withal ; we glory not in 
men's opinion, nor in all the fruitions of human enter- 
prise. 

We glory in the Lord. It is, O God, in thy strength 
that surrounds us ; it is in thy thought fulness that never 
misses an opportunity of good ; it is in thy faithfulness, 
new every morning, fresh every moment, and more in 
number than the drops of the morning dew. We rejoice 
in the wonder of thy heart, that hath taught us to love, 
and that shall teach all created things yet to love. We 
rejoice in thee, and glory in thee, and are strong in thee, 
and are weak only when we forget thee and go back to 
trust ourselves. And now we beseech thee that we may 
not pervert this precious truth of our dependence upon 
thee to supineness, indifference, and indolence. May it 
rather inspire us with a more hearty courage and resolu- 
tion of activity. Since thou wilt work in us to will and 



178 BEECIIEH'S PULPIT DET0TI0N3. 

to do, may we work out our own salvation witli fear and 
trembling. 

If there are any in tliy presence, those that are in u ar 
and trembling, thou O God, canst quiet the quaking 
heart as easily as thou dost the storm and the rusbings 
of the waves. All things are possible w^ith thee. We 
beseech of thee to take to thyself to-day the unquiet, the 
disturbed, those that suffer in mind, and speak those 
words of consolation to them W'hich they need ; for thou 
knowest who suffer from long depression, who suffer 
from the vexatious burdens of secular things; thou 
knowest who seem to themselves unfortunate in life, cast 
ont and neglected — those whose purposes are crossed, and 
whose very aims and ends of life seem to them subverted. 
Thou canst make them feel that they are dear to thee, 
and that they possess thee — that in thee they have all 
joy and all wealth. 

We beseech thee that thou wilt draw near to those 
that are in trouble, that they may not be alarmed by it, 
nor think that any strange thing liatli surprised them. 
May they behold themselvesinitiatedby their sorrow into 
the true brotherhood of the great human family ; yet may 
they perceive that they are united to Christ, the head of 
men and the captain of salvation, made perfect through 
suffering ; and may they rejoice to have suffering, if 
through its ministration they may learn more and more 
of faith, of patience, of hope, of submission, and of love. 

We* pray that thou wilt deliver us from worldly-mind- 
edness, from tlie contamino.tions of those things which 
we must needs handle. Keep us, we beseech of thee, from 
growing sordid under those duties which we must needs 
perform. May we w^atcli our thoughts, lest we should 
grow selfish by prosperity. May we seek to walk humbly 



PRECTOUSXESS OF THE SABBATH. ITD 

before God, and not fail to recognize that spiritual con- 
nection between thy thought and blessing and our suc- 
cess ; and so may we desire every day to go back from 
all our outgoings, all our blossomings and fruit-bearings, 
to thee that art the root from which we spring. 

O Lord Grod, we pray that thou wilt bless the young ; 
grant to those that have been consecrated by their 
parents in the midst of this household of faith, that they 
may not be forgotten in our prayers. May we pray for 
each other's households ; may vre love each other's chil- 
dren ; may we have sympathy in the care and burden of 
their rearing, and help each other ; and may we as the 
Church of Christ remember the covenant implied, the 
helpfulness and sympathy implied by the offering of 
children before God in public. We beseech thee that 
those who receive the sacred symbol of consecration in 
public, may not forget what faith their parents have for 
them; and, as they grow up to years of discretion, may 
they enter into the blessedness and treasure of Christian 
knowledge and of Christian life, and become themselves 
the recipients by faith of the Spirit of God. 

May those in thy presence not depart from the ways 
of truth in which they have been reared. May they be 
saved from the power of temptation ; may they grow 
strong by resisting solicitations to evil, and may they 
gi'ow up in honoa^, in truth, in simplicity, and Christian 
manliness. We beseech thee that they may stand in 
their day and lot to fulfill the will of God, and to carry 
forward the work of the Gospel of Christ. We pray that 
our whole land may bo remembered before thee, thou 
that dost look upon the nations of the earth — they are but 
a. very little thing before thee. How easily canst thou 
raise or allay tlie tumults of the people ; how soon, when 



180 beecher's pulpit devotions. 

thou speakest, will the winds fly away, and the waves 
grow cahn. We beseech of thee that thou wilt ordain 
our fate. We pray that there may be so much of conflict 
and of strife as is needed to work out the righteousness 
of God among men. Grant that we may be held back 
from all malign and passionate influences, that we may 
be restrained, that we may be conscientious and earnest, 
yet full of love. May we forget no truths in our zeal for 
any truth ; may we understand the whole will of God, 
and be kept in the very spirit of Christ, and do our Mas- 
ter's work in our Master's spirit. 

We pray that thou wilt bless this church. Grant that 
its members may evermore be fruitful and humble. Let 
us not be pufled up with a vain prosperity. Deliver us 
from secular influences. May there be more and more 
prayer in the membership of this church, more and more 
faithfulness in Christian families, more and more fidelity 
in the rearing of their children ; and in their whole estate 
may they do as Christ would have them ; and finally 
may they all be accepted of thee for Christ's sake, 
Amen. 



SECURITY m CHRIST. 



Sabbath Morning, 

INYOCATION. 

OuB heavenly Father, we are moved from our hearts to draw near to 
thee this morning, and we come to a place whose every thought suggests 
thy past mercy ; and we are clothed and armed with recollections of thy 
grace and bounty — so that we may come boldly and hopefully again. We 
need, what always we have needed, the inspiration of thy Spirit, the help 
which thou givest to tis and to all who need help in spiritual things. 
May tliy truth, therefore, be a truth to-day, generous to us as God him- 
self; may all the exercises of worship, whether of prayer or of devtrut 
meditation, or of sacred song, be inspired of thee and welcomed to th^^. 
Grant, we pray thee, that every thing which, we shall do for instruction, 
may be guarded from erroi and quickened to truth, and may it be pleasant 
to us to meet each other in the sacred precincts of thy temple. May we 
find our affections purified and our whole souls refreshed by being this 
morning with God, which mercies we ask in the name of Christ our 
Redeemer. Amen. 

BEFORE SERMON. 

We adore thee, our God, and worship before thee. 
Our hearts acclaim thee God ; sovereign not alone in 
heaven and over the earth, bnt over ns, by our wish. 
' T7e rejoice that thou art supreme, and that there is a 
law to which every one of us must give obedience, 
framed in perfect wisdom and maintained in perfect 
goodness. And now, we would walk thereon safely as 
upon a highway cast up ; a way upon which the ransomed 
of the Lord shall walk. And when by wickedness or by 



182 beecher's pulpit devotions. 

sin we stumble thereon, thou, O God, in thine infinite 
mercy and kindness, wilt lift us again and plant us upon 
our feet ; and we shall, by the strength of God, endure 
to the end and finally be saved. 

This morning we rejoice that we are here, that we are 
permitted to lay aside for the time those duties of the world, 
and such occupations as divert our minds and carry us 
away from things spiritual and invisible. 'No more are 
we borne down by this outward and physical world, 
which dominates us so easily through sounds, and sights, 
and varied occupations ; we are permitted to rise up easier 
than birds from out of forests do. Our thoughts lift 
themselves up and go, not wandering, and yet singing 
toward thee. We know the divine attraction ; we are 
taught of the Spirit to say out of the heart's thoughts 
and feelings, '^ Our Father,'^ and that word is the gate 
of heaven; and when we speak it, behold the gate stands 
open, and God is ours, and we are Christ's and he is God's, 
and we enter in and have fruition of invisible blessings. 

We had hitherto taken thee as the Saviour of sinners, 
and pledged that we would renounce transgression and 
turn from it ; and yet, how have we violated every 
promise, and made ourselves even worse than by our 
original transgressions. But thou art infinite in mercy ; 
thou lovest to do good to us undeserving, and dost build 
up thy glory, in this very estate of magnanimous mercy ; 
and we rejoice tliat there is in thee more than a match 
for all the thoughts of guilt, all the fears of guilt, or all 
the transgressions that inspire hoplessness. 

We rejoice, blessed Saviour, that thou dost appear 
before God for us. We are not unknown in heaven ; 
we trust the names of many are in the Lamb's book ; 
we believe that we are recognized as children, though 



SECUEITY IN CHRIST. 183 

absent from our Father's house. Do they not think of 
lis who are in charge as ministering angels ? do they not 
think of us whom we once thought much of, guiding, 
and leading, and teaching ? The taught are our teachers 
now ; they that were beneath us are risen above. And 
are we not known of those whose hearts are of ours, 
whose lives were of ours, and whose companionship has 
been with us here upon earth, whom yet again we shall 
meet in fullness of joy. Are we not known, O thou 
that didst bear us upon thy suffering heart, thou that 
hast clasped us often for rescue and released by thine 
bwn wounded hand, thou that hast remembered us in 
Gethsemane, and upon the cross ? Shall any of us be for- 
gotten of thee, thou that art wondrous in remembering ? 
Thou that didst love us while yet we were enemies, canst 
thou forget, or shall we be unknown where thou 
dwellest ? 

We intreat that we may make our calling and 
election sure, and that by an humble faith, by a perse- 
vering following of Christ, by a fulfillment of all thy 
claims, which are easy and most reasonable. We be- 
seech of thee that we may not merely have the promise 
of that rest, but may none of us come short of it through 
unbelief and disobedience, and fall in the wilderness and 
perish; but by thy Holy Spirit wdlt thou shield us, 
delivering us from temptation, and in temptation stand- 
ing by us to deliver. Withdraw our thoughts from evil, 
save us fi'om that despondency which overtakes the 
transgressor in his way, and grant, we beseech thee, that 
we may have all the fullness of the work of grace 
wrought in us by thine owm good Spirit. We confess 
our unworthiness of thy care ; we confess that our trans- 
gressions have merited punishment beyond our thought. 



184 beecher's pulpit devotions. 

If tliou hadst lifted thyself up in thine infinite purity 
and disdained our wickedness ; if thou hadst walked 
over us and submerged us beneath our own way and 
wickedness, thou wouldst have been just and we could 
not have replied; but thou hast had mercy, and thou 
lovest mercy, and we are alive because of thy grace and 
not because of our own. We rejoice to believe that the 
same power that has been the author, shall be the finisher 
of our faith, and that thou wilt not begin a work of grace 
without carrying it on until the day of redemption. 

And now we desire, O Lord, to strengthen each other, 
and to comfort each other, to bear to others the tidings 
of that ransom and that ransomer, to make mention of 
the grace of God to us, that it may redound to his honor 
and glory in others. We beseech of thee, on every side, 
that we may be the preachers of Christ, that we may not 
stand in our own virtue, honor or principles, or upon 
our own merits, proclaiming our own morals. Grant 
that Christ may be our joy. May our strength be in 
him. May this be the teaching of our lip and the 
thought of our heart, and this the very argument as it is 
the secret strength of our life. And on every side, amidst 
our children, among our friends, and wherever we go 
with strangers, may we carry the light of Christ, and bear 
witness to his faith, to his power, and to his redeeming 
mercy, so that many souls shall be quickened, many en- 
couraged, many redeemed and saved with an everlasting 
salvation. And the glory be given to tlie Father, the 
Son, and the Holy Ghost, for ever and ever. Amen. 



SUCCESSIVE GENERATIONS OF BELIEVERS. 

Sabbath Morning. 



INYOCATIOX. 

"V^Te thank thee, thou that art risen from the dead, and ascended to h*fe 
evermore, and giving life to all thine own, that we have received life of 
thee. That light which thou hast granted us through nature is thj gift; 
but that other and nobler knowledge and life which comes by thy grace, 
transcends all gifts of nature and of Providence. And for that life of the 
soul we render thee, tliis morning, thanksgiving and praise. Thus born 
of God, may we worship thee, who art a spirit, in spirit and in truth. 
And as we are speaking and hearing thy word, and engaged in the songs of 
Zion, give us a spirit of prayer, and may all the sacrifices we shall offer 
ascend acceptable in thy sight, Lord, our strength and our .Redeemer 
Amen. 

BEFORE SERMON. 

Oh God, thou hast illumined the morning. While 
yet it is dark, it is light. We rejoice in the potency of 
that word by which thou dost bring forth into com- 
munion and power the holy thoughts and triumphant 
experiences of so many souls. We are witnesses of thy 
resurrection power. We are witnesses that that spirit 
which gave life once, is giving life still and abundantly 
and universally. How many hast thou already set free ! 
We go back in thought from age to age, and trace the 
course of thy struggling church, for which we give 
thee devout thanks. We go back to the days of its 
beginnings and feebleness, and we find thee there,, 
rescuing from fear, from sorrow, from trouble, and from 



186 KEECHER's pulpit DEY0XI02s"S. 

the domination of the world, those who since, through 
long ages, have dwelt with thee in glory. So long are 
they in heaven, that were it not for the endless gratitude 
of love, they might have forgotten that they lived upon 
the earth. 

Behold how, through the long, struggling ages, thou 
hast not left thyself without a witness and a people ; and 
thou hast still a witness in thy people to thy power 
both to forgive sin and to deliver the soul from it. More 
than we can remember, thousands and tens of thousands, 
thousands upon thousands innumerable, filling and still 
augmenting the vast multitude ; more than the stars, or 
the sands upon the sea-shore, are they who by faith of 
Christ have subdued the world and triumphed over it, 
and mounted to glory. In heaven they know thee and are 
known. They are thine own beloved ones. Forth from 
thy soul issues that glorious welcome of love which for 
every one is food and inspiration. With thee compan- 
ionship never grows dull ; with thee love is perpetual 
and forever new. It neither wastes, nor expires, nor 
grows old, nor knows weariness or shadow of turning, 
but is sweeter with every growing year, and more full 
of wondering transport, ministering to whatever is noble 
and divine in the soul. And they have dwelt there, 
augmenting in taste, in love, in all the dignities of purity, 
and in the transcending elements of the divine life ; so 
that they would not be known by their earthly compan- 
ions ; nor would those that sigh, and pray, and doubt, 
and fear, and long, know them to be themselves in their 
heavenly estate. 

And we thank thee that that number of redeemed ones 
is augmenting still ; we thank thee that it is a heaven 
with room for all that the earth can ever send thither ; 



SUCCESSIVE GEXERATIOKS OF BELIE VEES. ] -7 

that there is a place for every one which none other can 
take. We thank thee that there are garments and 
palms for every single soul, though it be hoary in years, 
or though it be an infant of days, though it be washed 
out from immeasurable corruption, or though it speed 
without stain or contamination out of life. For all and 
every condition there awaits in heaven a robe, a place, 
and a God. And there, in that eternal summer ; there, 
in those innumerable joys ; there, in that great company 
of the redeemed, whose robes are washed in blood, and 
made whiter than the snow ; there, in ranks, in cities, in 
nations, in races, and in multitudes without number, they 
dwell in holy liberties and in blessed experiences. In- 
explicable to us in the world are they. 

They are monuments, witnesses of thy goodness, com- 
panions of thy glory, full of ineffable joy. ]^Tay, we 
conceive not nor have we the power to conceive of that 
which shall describe the joy of those that are with thee 
in heaven. And it is our earthly joy, though in low 
measures adulterated, that w^e have sent thither those 
that are companioning with thee. There, are those tliat 
taught us. Our parents, revered and beloved, are at rest. 
There, are our earthly companions — many that forsook 
us in childliood. We have seen them no more since, 
but they have seen thee, and are with thee forever. 
There, are our brothers and sisters, that went away 
before we could go, having finished their tasks and been 
called thither. There, are those cliildren, whom with 
frowns of giief we forbade to Christ, and would not per- 
mit to go when they heard his voice, saying, ^' Come 
unto me." Mightier was their love and thine than ours. 
And though it broke our hearts, they went ; and we live 
to give thanks; and we visit them again in faith, and 



188 BEECHER's pulpit BEVOTIOJS'S. 

Lehold their royalty, and feel that we are not worthy 
now to touch their shoes' latdiet. And there, are those 
that have been the companions of our manhood, our 
brothers in toil and labors of love. There, are many 
that were the founders of this vine and church, and that 
w^rought with us early, and bore the burden and heat of 
the day, and did not despise tlie day of small things. 
They rest from their labors ; their works follow them ; 
and they are to-day blessed. 

We give thanks to thee, O Lord our God, our 
heavenly Father, that when we look through all these 
that are martyrs and confessors, and apostles, and holy 
ministers, and saints, and our own kindred, and our 
children, and those that are dear to us as our own soul, 
that still we are conscious that rising above them all, 
and nobler, and drawing us with stronger love, thou, 
the pierced one, dost still stand, saying to us from out of 
the heavens : " Peace be unto you ;" still, to our eye, 
reaching out the hands that were wounded for us, but 
are mighty against all our vv^ounds. Thou, Jesus, art 
our soul's joy and delight. Whom have we in heaven 
but thee ? There is none upon earth that we desire like 
unto thee. We rejoice in thee. We worship thee. 
We follow thee, and are grieved that our steps are so 
short and so wavering and imperfect. We strive to 
know thee. We mourn the past. We set resolutions 
and barriers between us and temptation. We call to 
mind the victories of thy people of old. We call thy 
grace to mind. We call to mind thy sovereign power, 
which is working in us to will and to do of thy good 
pleasure. We are as ships upon a stormy sea ; rising 
and falling, we sometimes lose the sight of heaven; but 
in spite of winds w^e hold on. Tliough, as we are tossed 



SUCCESSIVE GE^sEEATIOXS OF BELIEVERS. 189 

and dashed to and fro, we often lose, beneath the bub- 
merging waves that roll over ns, the sight, yet we do not 
lose faith. Thou art still our captain. Thou art our 
leader — our triumphant Saviour. Thy death hath set- 
tled our life. We shall live because thou dost; or 
because thou hadst power in dying to destroy death, and 
didst trample it under thy feet. Thou didst work 
wondrously, and thou wert victor. Thou didst come 
forth, and rejoice all heaven in the anticipation of thuse 
victories which were wrought by thee in suffering, and 
dying, and rising again, and ever living. 

Now this is our faith and our hope : Jesus is risen ; and 
is om' Saviour — our personal Saviour. He loves us more 
than we love ourselves. He understands us better than a 
mother understands the babe that she nourishes. He 
knows all our ailments. He knows our sins, our easily 
besetting sins. He knows every temptation, and every 
suggestion of the devil. And he has sliielded us. About 
us thou art throwing thine arm of protection. Thou art 
surrounding thy people with holy influences. Thou wilt 
never leave them nor forsake them. They shall be vic- 
torious. So long as that voice sounds from the heavens, 
" Because I live ye shall live also," so long we have presage 
and assurance of final victory. We take up our cross and 
follow thee. What is the cross since thou left it ? No 
longer a burden, but more a staff and a stay to us. No 
longer is there death in it, but life eternal. No longer 
wounding, and shame, and disgrace, but honor, and in- 
fluence, and glory, and immortality. We take it up and 
we follow thee. We mourn that it is so slowly that we 
follow thee ; but we rejoice that we follow thee still. 
And the victory — we hail it ; we wait for it. 'Tis better 
to depart and be with Christ than to live. No matter 



190 eeecher's pulpit devotions. 

what are the joys of the hour ; what can they be com- 
pared to our Father's house and the soul's home among 
its brethren in heaven ? 

And now, grant this day, we beseech of thee, unto 
thy people, a clearer vision than they have been wont to 
have of that rest which remaineth for the people of God. 
Cheer thy disciples. Those that quarrel by the way — • 
teach them better. And may those that fear and doubt 
find thee walking with them, and opening the scriptures 
to them, so that they shall feel their hearts burning 
within them. May those that know thee not, and weep 
for thee ; may those that look thee in the face, and think 
thee to be the gardener, hear thee speak their name to 
them, so that their souls shall abound with consola- 
tion ; and may they know that it is Christ that they are 
looking upon. Hold not their eyes any longer ; but may 
they see him who lives forever, that they may live. 

Wilt thou draw near to any that have despised thee, 
and that still despise. May they see v/hat they are 
doing. May they know what is the great sin of all their 
sins in life — that Christ should live and they be dead to 
him. And we pray that thou wilt arouse many, and that 
thou wilt bring them by the way of sorrow and peni- 
tence to Jesus, the soul's Saviour. 

Bless those that are hearing thy voice calling unto them 
as unto little children. May they not be impatient. May 
they rejoice that Christ hath called them to a whole life of 
learning. Day by day may they study new fidelities, 
purity, truth, justice, simplicity, love, and laboriousness 
in the cause of Christ. 

Shield those that are in the midst of snares and 
assaults of the evil one. Bless the yoimg. Bless those 
that are in the midst of life. Bless those that are 



SUCCESSIVE GEXERxlTIOXS OF BELIEVERS. 191 

advaiieliig and coming into the shade and shadow ot 
their daj^s. May all feel thy presence, and every one 
have ministered to him, this day, according to his neces- 
sity, some portion from the table of thy royalty. 

And grant thy blessing to rest upon the churches, and 
npon thy cause in all this land, and around the world. . 
Fulfill those promises that seem so long to have lingered, 
and bring in Jew and Gentile, and fill the earth with 
thy glory. And to the Father, the Son, and the Holy 
Spirit, shall be praises everlasting. Amen. 



CLOSma PRAYER. 

Blessed Saviour, wilt thou grant by the Holy Ghost that the truth may 
be applied, which has been spoken to-day, to every conscience, and to 
every understanding, and to every heart. It is thine own work and thine 
own truth, and thine own souls are these. We beseech of thee, Lord 
Jesus, that we may not think that we desire their salvation more than 
thou dost — for all the desires that struggle in us, and seem overbearing 
at times are but drops which have fallen from thy great heart ; and we 
do not plead for them as those that feel more than thou dost, but we 
plead for them because thou hast permitted us to utter our desires in 
the form of intercessory prayer. We rejoice that we may, and we beseech 
of thee that thou wilt hear our cry, and answer and show mercy and for- 
giveness, for thine own name's sake. Amen. 



RICHES OF GOD'S MERCIFULISrESS. 



An Evening Service. 

Otte heavenly Father — we do not draw near to thee 
as strangers ; we are not aliens from the commonwealth 
of Israel; we are thy children ; and though we cannot 
come in justice with claims, yet in the realm of love we 
do come to claim blessings. We come not with that 
boldness which they have who are unsullied and have no 
fear ; but we come with that boldness which thou dost 
command, that confidence which we have in thy love to 
us, that confidence and earnestness which is inspired by 
a spirit of love in us toward thee. We beseech of thee 
that we may have the manifestations of thy presence. 
' May we not seem to ourselves as those that speak in the 
air, but rather as those that behold thee by the inward 
sense, and speak to the presence of a loving Father. 

Our wants, we scarcely know them, because thou art 
beforehand with thy vigilant love and care. Our 
troubles, they are oftentimes alleviated in the very com- 
ing, or we are lifted up after their first shock out of them, 
so that before w^e begin to pray, thou hast begun to 
relieve. Thou art always going before; and when we 
follow thee, we find our footsteps walking in the path of 
mercy. And thou art always doing exceeding abund- 
antly more than we ask or think ; for when we ask for 
temporal mercies, thou givest. in addition, spiritual mer- 



194 beechek's pulpit deyotioxs. 

cies ; and as on earth when they brought unto thee, blessed 
Jesus, the sick and the lame, thou didst heal them, and 
then forgive them their sins, blessing them in their spirit 
and in their body ; so when we ask of thee for divine 
kindnesses, thou art wont to fulfill our petitions, both in 
the substance and in the spirit. Thou art doing more 
than we know, l^ot till we stand in heaven and behold 
the inheritance, not till we there see the growths of all 
those things which now we are sowing, shall we know 
what abundant mercy thou hast shown unto us. 

And now vv^e render thee thanks for the tenderness 
and delicacy with which thou art blessing us. Thou 
couldst take thy goodness, and thou couldst prostrate us 
with it ; thou couldst so come with kindnesses as to make 
them burdens. Thou art doing good in ways so gentle, 
in ways so common to our necessities, that thy very dis- 
position and thy manner is itself a blessing. All thy 
kindnesses and all thy assistances to us are wonderful, 
but thy methods are full as wonderful. Thou art glori- 
ous in holiness; but thou art wonderful in all the 
methods of thy thought, and feeling, and administration. 
Thou dost not sit to control the earth by wide-sweeping 
laws, which thou dost touch but at the point of inspira- 
tion ; thou art thyself mingling in universal liuman 
affairs. All events are thy thoughts, and all things are 
under thee ; and as we can stand in the midst of com- 
plicated affairs, serene, holding them all and guiding a 
thousand intricate things, so thou, upon the greater 
sphere, canst behold the flow of time toward eternity ; 
and universal affairs are all simple, and plain, and easy 
to thee. Thou bearest up creation without weariness, 
and art not fatigued by ages, though thou slumberest 
not nor sleepest, nor in any way takest rest. 



EICHES OF god's MEECIFXJLXESS. 195 

O Lord, our God, we do feel tliat we are made honora- 
ble by bowing down before thee ; this is our lifting up ; 
this is our exaltation ; and when we humble ourselves, 
and are abased, then most are we lifted up into glory 
and honor. 

'We beseech of thee that thou wilt draw every one in 
thy presence to thee by thy loveliness. May thy good- 
ness lead them to repentance. AVilt thou help those 
that are struggling to obtain a nearer view of thee. 
There are many that obtain but glimpses and at rare 
intervals ; there are many that complain that they can- 
not find thee in thy word, nor do they behold thee in 
daily affairs, nor do there come to them those moods and 
meditations in which other men find thee revealed. 
Now we beseech of thee that thou wilt hear the prayer, 
whether uttered or thought, of such ; and as thou hast a 
blessino; sent forth and never revoked for them that 
hunger and thirst after righteousness, so grant we 
beseech thee that they may be satisfied of thy full- 
ness. 

And if there are any that are troubled with doubts, or 
are baffled, that are driven hither and thither, that come 
almost to the port of peace, and then with contrary and 
adverse winds are driven off again, O Lord we beseech 
thee that thou wilt rise where thou seemest to sleep. 
Let them behold that thou art in the ship, and that they 
may not be afraid of the elements ; speak to them that 
they may be at peace. Draw near to all those that seem 
to themselves almost forsaken of God ; lift them up out 
of the lower plain of selfishness in which they judge thee 
in relation to the occurrences of life, that they may see 
tliat the events of this life do not center in them or in 
their selfish views, but that they themselves are compos- 



i\)6 bsecher's pulpit devotioxs. 

ing a part of the great Jiistory in whicli thou art adminis- 
tering for the good of allj for each and for all. 

May we not sink away and droop into faintness and 
weakness by reason of thy dealings v/ith ns ; may we feel 
that we are more beloved of God than our children are of 
us ; yea, that thy regard for us is infinitely greater than our 
own regard for ourselves. We that are full of selfishness 
and ignorance, we that are nursed in conceits and follies, 
we that do not know how to love ourselves wisely and 
well, how much more are we beloved by thee that 
knowest altogether what we are made of, that knowest 
all our career in time and in eternity. We rejoice that 
thou dost administer upon the great circles of thy 
wisdom and goodness, and not upon the petty marks 
which we make for ourselves. Go on and deal with us 
as thou wilt : Thy will be done. 

O Lord, our God, thou dost sometimes bring us to the 
point of vision where we can see thee, at least dimly and 
distantly, and then it is not difficult to say ''Thy will be 
done ;'' but we long to wear this spirit as a garment, we 
long to sanctify common events and experiences by 
learning to feel that they are of God. We long to know 
that there is a wisdom under us that is better than our 
own, that there is a controlling power and a divine love 
beating like blood through all the veins of life and time. 
We long to know that all things are fashioned and 
directed by our Father's hand, so that we may meet 
every new combination and every change of affairs w^th 
the feeling that it is best and wisest because divinely 
guided. So make it easy for us every day, in every 
thing, and every where, to accept the revelations of thy 
Providence as the teachings of thy thought and of thy 
wisdom. 



RICHES OF god's MERCIFULNESS. ] 07 

We pray that tliou wilt help us in our various situa- 
tions of life to bear the burdens that thou dost call us to 
bear ; and though we may ourselves be instrumental in 
bringing those burdens upon us, thou art employing 
them as moral instruments, thou wilt by them help us in 
the end. May those that are weak be helped of God, in 
those troubles that spring from weakness, whether of 
mind, conscience, or affection. May all those that are 
in the midst of sickness, of troubles and pain, find thee 
a present help in those necessities. May those that are 
bereaved, find that God is an able physician for this 
trouble ; and may those who desire to get rid of their 
difficulties understand the sweetness and depth of the 
promise : " My grace shall be sufficient for thee ;" and 
may they more and more find out the sacred lesson of 
bearing. 

May we, O Lord, find strength in enduring things 
which at first we utterly (Jespised and hated. May we 
know how to make our lower nature serve faithfully, 
cheerfnlly, and gladly, our higher; and in all things may 
we accept the overrulings of our lower experience, of 
our physical sensations, of our earthly connections, and 
of our time interests, in behalf of generosity, magnani- 
mity, purity of life, spirituality, and the hope of God 
and heaven. And we beseech of thee that thus we may 
be led every day as in a Sabbath, finding rest every 
hour, and every where a sa^nctuary, and our heart a 
perpetual altar, and every affection sweet incense. 

"We beseech of thee for those that are in our midst 
this morning, strangers to us ; grant that they may be 
made welcome as brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ in 
this household of faith, since they have found here their 
Father. May we look upon them as brethren, and may 



103 EEECHEK'^ pulpit DEV0TT0X3. 

we rejoice together in sacred song, in tlie communion of 
the truth, in fellowship one with the other of prayer and 
of praise. May they feel that in this wilderness of life 
thou hast appointed this home for them, this strange 
place of meeting with their kindred, and may they go 
hence blessed. May all the desire of all our hearts rest 
upon every one of thein, and may they have the blessing 
of the Father, Son, and Spirit, and the people of God upon 
them ; and if they are strangers in a strange land, full of 
home-sickness, remember them and comfort them. O 
Lord, if they look back to those that they scarcely dare 
name or think of for heart-yearnings, both sanctify their 
affection and its affliction, and bless them for wliom 
they desire blessings. 

Be with any, native or foreign, who may consider 
themselves wanderers, that scarcely know father or 
mother, or brother, or sister, or friends, or kindred, and 
who account themselves driven as the idle seed in the 
air of summer. O Lord, we beseech thee that they may 
find themselves connected by Christian faith and love 
with those that are the children of God, and we shall 
become brothers and sisters to them. Reclaim those 
that are wandering from rectitude. If any are beginning 
to step aside, thou seest it, though no other eye in the 
universe knov/s it; there is not one that escapes thy 
vigilant gaze. Throw thine arms of protection around 
them at the beginning of evil, and turn them back in- 
stantly, and give them a firm determination to do evil 
no more. Rescue those that are gone down apace in the 
evil way, and bring back those that are nearly helpless 
and hopeless, and to human instrumentality quite given 
up. 

And we beseech thee to be with the poor and the 



199 

ignorant, and witli all those that are oppressed by 
avarice and position. Be with all those that are suffer- 
ing from the bondage of civil laws and dynasties and 
governments ; and we beseech of thee that this race of 
man, that for so long a time has groaned and travailed 
in pain, may at length emerge and go forth into the joy, 
light, and liberty of the children of God ; and the earth 
see thy salvation. And to thy name shall be the praise, 
Father^ Son, and Spirit Amen. 



CLOSING PRATES. 

Wilt thou follow with thy blessing the word spoken^ our heavenly 
Father. May it he a word in time ; may it he a word of exciten)ent, a 
word of relief. Grant, we beseech thee, that divine power may rest upon 
every heart and conscience, by which they shall be set free from fear, 
and deliver us all from bondage. May we love men, but not fear them; 
may we have that sovereign fear of God that shall set us free of all other 
lower fears, and so bound to thee may we be able to go in perfect har- 
mony with heaven, though surrounded by all the defects of earth and 
time ; and may we have that contentment which they well may have who 
have the Spirit of God with them, who have the testimony of tlieir own 
conscience that, with sincerity, diligence, and singleness of purpose, they 
are seeking to fulM the law of God. Wilt thou bless us as we go from 
this place of worship; go with us to our homes; deliver us from all 
thoughts that are inappropriate to the rest and joy of this day, and at 
last bring us to thy kingdom in heaven, which we ask, for the Redeemer'a 
sake. Amen. 



PATERNAL CHARACTER OF GOD. 



AN EVEJ^NG PRAYER. 



We thank thee, our lieayenly Father, that thou hast 
not ordained it that they that approach thee should come 
vrith a perfect heart and a perfect utterance ; then only 
those that are ripened in the very light of thy counte- 
nance and in the everlasting summer of heaven could 
speak to thee. Bat what do they need of prayer? 
Why should they call out who are without temptations, 
without sorrow, without any weakness, without infirmi 
ties and trials ? It is those that are tossed below that 
need to speak to thee, and if thou wouldst accept no 
offering of our lips but a perfect offering, we should be 
dumb. Blessed be thy name ! thou dost hear with thy 
heart ; thy pity listens, and thy compassions, that mercy 
which has spared and spares still, that goodness that 
loves to find a way of excuse and release and relief, that 
grandeur of divine paternity and a father's pity for an 
erring child, thou hast for every one of us. And we 
draw near to thee to-night, encouraged with this thought. 
Lord, thou hast taught us in the very first word of that 
uttered prayer, to say, " Our Father," and in that way 
to forget the dreadfiilness of a monarch's unapproachable 
augustness. 

So we come to thee as to our Father. We know not 
ourselves, nor the way of our own lives. In the things 

9* 



^02 beecher's pulpit deyotioxs. 

v/liere we Lave knowledge we stnin"bie and fall, but like- 
wise we stumble and fall for lack of vision. We are walk- 
ing in a strange and unknown world ; thou hast not been 
pleased to let us see what there is in to-morrow ; thou 
hast obliged us to steer oftentimes upon the troubled sea 
amidst tempestuous influences, and we are perpetually 
falling into trouble by reason of our ignorance or our 
very limited sight. We thank thee that thou dost look 
upon all this and share what we are, and that we are 
ourselves under the vigilance and sleepless care of thine 
owm watching and providencCc Thou dost take our 
thoughts and feelings and their resulting actions, and all 
of them are compared again by thee, so that all things 
work together for the good of them that love God. 
Thou art not w^eary with us when we fall by reason of 
our own bin, which is daily ; thou knowest how to spare 
that thou mayest heal. We are ourselves witnesses to 
thy sparing mercy ; if thou hadst been just in thy indig- 
nation, as thou mightest have been, we should have been 
cut off long ago and no longer cumbered the ground, but 
thou hast had mercy, and thou dost delight in mercy, and 
those that might justly be cast off from thy care thou 
dost cherish wdth wonderful patience and love. 

O Lord, we thank thee for thy kindness, for thy 
patience, for all thy wonderful forgiveness, and for thy 
unwearied love that nourislies v/hom it might destroy. 
!N"ow we pray that a sense of God's goodness may lead 
us to repentance; may we not be willing to receive all 
bounties and requite all ingratitude? may we not be 
willing that God should surround us with ten thousand 
mercies unnamed and unmentionable, and that we should 
walk amidst them all only to grow more selfish and 
proud. May we requite thee according to thy mercies 



PATERXAL CHARACTEK OF GOD. 203 

and goodness, and though we cannot measure with any 
thought or feeling of ours, the bounty of our God, yet 
may we love thee, and seek by loving obedience for com- 
placency in us. Turn us to thyself ; let the light of thine 
own image shine in us, and behold thine own lineaments 
developing in us, and carry on the work until its con- 
summation and our victory. 

"We pray, O most merciful Father, that thou wilt 
have mercy upon those that are weak. We need to be 
born as little children, and borne with; teach us pa- 
tience, and teach us how to edify one another. We pray 
that thou wilt give light to all that are in perplexity and 
darkness. Open a way for those that find themselves 
shut up and knpw not whither to turn ; that seem alone, 
with none to whom they can go for counsel ; be thou 
more than friend or friendship to them, and may they 
feel that there is one ear that always hears and one mind 
that never forgets. Thou that dost bear time in thine own 
heart, thou that dost wear out the spheres with the 
freshness of thine enduring youth, O do thou teach them 
that thou art always a refuge and a friend, and an ever- 
lasting protector. Are there any declining in life? Do 
they feel infirmities come upon them outwardly ? "We 
pray that as the outward man perishes the inward mau 
may be renewed day by day,"^ and as they leave in their 
advance earthly things behind them, may they be to 
them as to those that draw near, after long being upon 
the sea, to their native land, and all the sweet odors of 
the earth come forth upon the deep to meet them, and 
all the mingling influences of growing things open to 
those that are drawing near to heaven ; if they are 
coming upon the shore in the darkness of the night, may 

* In presence of the pastor's aged fattier, Dr. Lyman Beecher. 



204 BEECHER'S PULPIT DEVOTIONS. 

there be a sense of what is coming ; may they have fore- 
tastes and sweet-wafted influences that shall cheer them 
and comfort them. 

Glorify thyself in the lives of all thy people; make 
them more and more holy that they may be a 
blessing to men. Deliver them from vanity and osten- 
tation, from spiritual pride, and from all things that are 
offensive and untrue before God or men. Make them 
fall of all kindness and gentleness ; may thy people love 
one another, and so with a spirit of unfeigned love bring 
on that final day of glory, when all thy church on earth 
shall be one, when there shall be no more divisions, 
where the heart shall be united and sanctified by the 
Spirit of God. Wilt thou hear us in our petitions, and 
answer us for Christ's sake. Amen. 



TRIUMPHS OVER SIjST ANT) DEATH. 



Sabbath Morning. 

INYOCATIOX. 

Ottr heavenly Father, thou hast invited us by all the words of persua- 
sion that stand from age to age unexhausted in thy word ; and thou art 
inviting us by our own wants recurring every day, and by aU the smiling 
prospects of this morning in which thou hast sent forth the sun to repre- 
sent thee, the Sun of Righteousness risen with healing in thy beams. 
And we draw near to thee, made welcome by thy Spirit to rejoice in thy 
presence, to receive from thee those gifts which every hour we need. 
And now we pray, since thou hast opened the doors of thy temple and 
made us welcome here, that thou wilt grant us the evidence of thy favor 
in the enhvening of all our gracious affections. May we find that our 
feelings and thoughts and imaginations are hfting themselves up to greet 
thee, and bearing witness that thy Spirit is here. Sanctify to our use thy 
word. Bless us in the holy communion of prayer; bless us in singing 
the sacred song ; bless us in our meditation and speaking and listening ; 
bless us here and at our several homes, and may the whole day be a day 
of advancement heavenward. 'We ask it for Christ's sake. Amen. 

BEFORE SERMON. 

Thotj dwellest in light and glory, O our Father ; we 
dwell in darkness ; our light has not yet come, and 
although thou hast sent some beams to guide us, wo 
walk in the twilight yet, and wait for the rising sun of 
our salvacion. Thou art surrounded by the whole estate 
of the blessed. What are their joys, we know not ; what 
are their glories and dignities, doth not yet appear. We 
know that we shall never reach the circuit of heaven by 



206 beecheb's pulpit devotio:n'S. 

our imaginations thereof^^ and tliat notliing that is high 
and noble and pure can be exaggerated. We know that 
when we behold that which now our mortal and fleshly 
eye cannot see, it will be more glorious than we have 
thought; not less. Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, 
nor hath it entered into the heart of man to conceive the 
things which thou hast reserved for them in the blessed- 
ness of heaven. 

We are glad for those that go, going forth by per- 
mission by the door of life and death. We are glad for 
those whose work is completed ; who rest from it ; whose 
life is purified upon this sphere, and begins to blossom in 
the other. We rejoice likewise for those that remain, 
whose work being done, they tarry only till thy conve- 
nience sends for them. How many are there whose vaca- 
tion is at hand, who know that ere long the welcome sound 
shall come, " Child, thy Father sendeth for thee !" We 
rejoice that in this company are so many that themselves 
think not of it. Now is their salvation nearer than when 
they believed, or than they now believe. We rejoice 
that thou art taking from out of the company of sinful 
men, and from the midst of troubles in this life, one and 
another into the dear delights of their Father's kingdom. 
They that sang here are to-day singing more sweetly 
above. We thank thee that redeeming power and grace 
are not exhibited alone in the final consummation and in 
the uplifting exhibition which thou wilt make to all the 
world ; thou art exhibiting day by day, to those that have 
a heart to understand and an eye to behold, the triumphs 
of redeeming love. We behold round about us thy work 
beginning, and thou art showing thyself to be the author 
of faith. 

We rejoice that so many among us are beginning to 



TRIUMPHS OVER SIN AIS^D DEATH. 207 

daTTH into tlie kingdom of God's glorj, and into the com- 
munion of the invisible vrorld, and into the life that 
stands upon these eternal and invisible things ; and thou 
art also consummating thj work. We behold on every 
side those who are growing in grace and in the know- 
ledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, and who are 
becoming more lovely, in that they are showing to us 
TLore and more what Christ is, by their sweet self-denial 
!hat glows with all the glories of piety and blessedness, 
and teaches us how joyful it is to deny ourselves in love 
for others. By their patience, by their meekness, by their 
love, by all the things that they do like their Master, 
they are teaching us of him. And we thank thee that 
there are so many of them, and that thou hast planted 
them in so many families. 

We thank thee that thou hast appointed the Gospel to 
be preached in so many ways besides the exposition of 
the letter. We rejoice that thou hast living epistles 
borne about in every part of human life, and everywhere 
declaring the truths of God. We rejoice that even the 
root is so fragrant and sweet, growing upon the earth 
and blossoming only in heaven ; we rejoice that the very 
beginnings of gracious affections and true Christian 
character here are so noble and so satisfying. 

And now, O Lord, we beseech of thee, that thou wilt 
make every one of us put before us the glory of Christ 
Jesus. May we look upon him as our model ; may we 
take him as our Saviour ; may we rest in him and receive 
the power of God through our faith. We beseech of 
thee that every one of us may look for the coming of 
that glorious day of deliverance from sin, and perfection 
m holiness. May we live, not only as seeing him who is 
in\^s:ble, but may the world of glory never be below our 



208 beecher's pulpit devotioi^s. 

horizon, and may it always shine as the guiding star. 

Teach ns every day to measure the things of this world 
and of time, by the thought and the measure of thy sanc- 
tuary. Deliver us, from despondency and doubt, and 
mav we become strono- in the Lord. Deliver us from 
overweening conceit and from vainglory. May we glory 
in our God ; may the life that we live in the flesh be the 
life of Christ in us ; may we rejoice more and more in 
the nutriment of sweet affections and in all the graces 
which are brought forth in us by the divine Spirit. We 
beseech thee that not only we may thus live, but may 
we be able by our aifection, and sympathy, and labor to 
bring others with us. May every one of us be able to 
carry with us bright bands of friends, marching together 
with one step along the same road to the same hope, and 
to the same forelooking. 

We beseech of thee that we may feel every day that 
we are growing richer. May we every day feel that age 
is not deprivation ; and that all the signs and tokens 
which come of weakness — the failure of one sense and 
another, the weakening of one part of this mortal body 
and another, are but the premonitions of the strik- 
ing of the tents in the camp of the wilderness; and may 
we see in these things but the preparations for going for- 
ward to cross the Jordan into the promised land. 

May we look less and less wistfully upon the things 
that are and are taken hold of by our senses ; and more 
and more may we rejoice in the things that are not to 
other men, and are to us by faith. May we not be afraid 
for those, around about whom are the everlasting arms, 
and for whom is an eternal salvation. May we look forth 
from out of all things, saying undauntedly, " If God be for 
us, who can be against us ;" and so established and con- 



TRIUMPHS OVER SIX AND DEATH. 209 

firmed, may we approve ourselves before thee and rejoice 
thee. Give it to us to make our Father glad ; and we 
beseech of thee, that thus, day by day, w^e may live in 
this divine communion and in the fruition of these 
spiritual things. 

But, Lord Jesus ! Divine Saviour ! this must be thy 
work. To will is present with us, but how to perform 
we know not. We are very weak, we are very ignorant. 
The things even which we know, we do not do; the 
things that are good we do not realize, and the things 
that are evil we perform, and we exceedingly need thy 
forbearance, thy grace, thy sustaining help. And this 
morning we take hold of thy promises; thou hast de- 
clared that thou wilt abide v/ith us ; thou hast declared 
that thou wait never leave us nor forsake us. Thou hast 
sent thy servants to declare that, having given thine own 
life, thou wilt with thyself give freely all needed things ; 
and therefore, out of our weakness we lift ourselves up, 
still crying. Forget us not, O our Father ; neither leave 
us in our sins, nor forsake us in our iniquities, but draw 
us with sweet forgiveness, with all blessed promises, with 
all brighter and brighter shining liopes. Draw^ us tow^ard 
thee, and being quickened, may we help each other. 

May we not live among our fellows steeiing ourselves 
more and more, and growing harder and harder by the 
experience of worldly want, but may we grow more and 
more like God and heaven ; and to the end grow more 
gracious, helpful, and sweet-minded ; and, when at last 
thou hast served thyself by us, may we fall asleep in 
Jesus and find it no sleep, but eyerlasting waking in 
Jesus. And when we stand before thee to see ourselves, 
that we are wearing thine image, and that we are like 
unto thee, when we stand before thee at last satisfied^ 



210 BEECHER's pulpit BEVOTIOIirS. 

after all restler3Siiess5 tossings, and yearnings unutterable, to 
know the full meaning of that word satisfied^ we will give 
the praise of our salvation to the Father, to the Spirit, 
and to thee, O faithful Saviour, evermore. Amen. 



CLOSINa PRAYER. 

Our Father, we beseech of thee, add the blessing of thy spirit to the 
word spokeu, and grant that it may not be in vain that it is spoken. May 
we all of us take heed. May we search our hearts and our motives. 
May we look into our desires and aspirations and ambitions. May we 
examine everything that is active within us, to knov/ whether it is in the 
way of right and duty and purity, and whether it is tending upward to- 
ward God, or whether it is tending downward and growing stronger in 
selfishness and pride and wickedness. that we may hasten, by repent- 
ance and reformation, to escape from the results of sin and from sin itself. 

Grant that those in thy presence who are in much peril — the young, 
and those who are in the midst of the whirl of giddy life — may be 
apprized of their danger. that the immortal truth of the moral 
government under vrhich they live might come down upon them. make 
them feel what is the blessedness of purity and virtue and faithfulness in 
the service of God and his cause. Make them to fear tlie awfulness of 
temptation and sin. that there might be reformation among those that 
are wicked. that those that have begun to reform might add to their 
speed and to the earnestness of their endeavor. 

Lord God, revive thy work in the hearts of men. Prepare thy servants 
to labor for thee and their fellow-men. Wake up all that have the faith 
of Christ in their souls. May they be shining lights in the world, that 
others seeing them may be led to thee. Hear these our petitions, and 
answer them, for Jesus Christ's sake. Amen. 



WE KNOW NOT WHAT WE SHALL BE. 



Sabbath Morning, 

INYO CATION. 

"We tliank thee for more mercies than we can number, for thou, God, 
art a Father, and we know that we are thy children, because on every 
side we have the tokens of thy love, thy patience, thy care and faithful- 
ness. And we desire to recognize thee more perfectly in thy gifts ; and 
since we are weak and thou art strong, since we are poor and thou art rich in 
all excellence, since we are feeble and undiscerning and thou art clear and 
penetrating afar off, knowing the end from the beginning, we come to thee, 
that we may receive something of thy fullness, for the promise is that 
thou wnt give Uberally wisdom and all good gifts to them that ask ; and 
we believe the promise, and we come with unfaltering faith asking thee to 
do that for us which we need. Prepare us for the reading of thy word ; 
prepare us to take from it all the fullness and sweetness of its meaning ; 
prepare us to speak it ; and to enlarge and apply its truths to our actual 
want ; prepare us to accept it. G-rant us nearness of approach to thee in 
prayer ; may we take hold, not of the hem of thy garment but of thine 
outstretched hand ; yea, peradventure, there be some that thou wilt take to 
thy very bosom like the favored disciple, that they may rest their head 
there. Prepare us to sing thy praises. We rejoice before thee ; we thank 
thee that we can sing and praise thee together in the sweet fellowship of 
mutual love and of love to God. Help us to approach thee in prayer : 
make the way easy, and inspire us with right thoughts and right words ; 
and so may thy bountiful blessing rest upon the exercises of the sanctuary, 
and follow down hence through all the hours of the day wherever they 
may be spent. We ask it for Christ's sake. Amen. 

BEFORE SERilON. 

Thou hast lifted up the light upon the earth and 
caused the day to know the time of its going forth. W? 
thank thee that thou hast also lifted the clear light of the 



212 beecher's pulpit devotio:n"S. 

sun upon our earthly way, and hath revealed unto us 
both the darkness and the light, so that we no longer 
are dim, as they that dwell in tvv^ilight. To us that 
sat in darkness hath arisen a great light. How short our 
life is, if we have no life but this ! How^ are we spent 
before we are ready to begin ! How, in all our early 
need, do we grope for knowledge, and find ourselves 
possessed of skill, and experience, and some discipline of 
affection only when our faces are begun to be veiled in 
age, and we are treading down to the grave ! 

Our life is too short for much of labor; and since the 
world began, each man has but thrown his mite into the 
treasury, nor knew where it went ; nor lived to see 
where it should be placed in the great temple which 
God builds in time. We are not permitted to live for 
ourselves, and to say : " Eat, drink, and to-morrow die." 
We are not permitted to forget that we have powers that 
should call for our highest exertion, and yet we come so 
slowly to any skill and power. The period of working 
is so short, andfreiglited with so many interruptions, and 
broken into too many times before it is at all used. We 
are so like tapers that burn at longest but for the hours 
of the night, but are blown out by rude winds that strike 
through at any hour ; we are so weak in our individual 
selves, and they with whom we associate so uncongenial 
often, that our life seems a strange mockery. 

We wonder why we were born into such a fate, and 
being born, why things were not better — wh}^ there was 
not more impulsion for good, and less drawing tov^'ard 
inevitable evil. And if there was no light but that which 
our own minds could bring, we could cheer ourselves 
with but little that would be worthy of a thought, and 
our life itself would be our sadness ; and death good, only 



WE KNOW NOT WHAT WE SHALL BE. 213 

as extinguishing sorrow. Bat now life and immortality 
are brought to light ; now, this whole life is but the gray 
morning, and not the day itself. 

Here it doth not even appear what we shall be. Hero 
we know not our own leaves, nor blossoms, nor fruit. 
This is not our soil ; for, as the things that are sown in the 
v/inter, to be transplanted when the summer shall come, 
do not know their own home, nor recognize what they 
shall be, confined and shut in ; so, we are but being 
brought forward, to be turned out into full soil and branch- 
ing room when thou shalt give us planting in heaven. 
Now, though we take the wings of the morning and fly 
to the uttermost parts of the earth — yea, though we wing 
ourselves with faith and imagination, and, touched of 
God with sacred inspiration, go like flames upward, and 
think into heaven itself, it doth not yet appear: yea 
though we take the sweetest assurances of affection and 
augment them by the power of our imagination, and sur- 
round ourselves with the returning virtues of all whom 
we loved, Avith the glorified friendship of those whom 
our hearts have touched in life, though we kindle on the 
altar of our heart by imagination all high and generous 
purposes, it doth not yet appear what we shall be. 

We know not our glorified faculties ; we know not 
what this sense of right, this conscience that gropes 
so darkly on earth, and punishes more than it gives 
reward, what it shall mean when thou shalt give liberty 
and sweet fruition and comfort of good. W"e know 
not, when the tide of God's nature shall roll divine 
beneficence through our faltering feeling of benevolence, 
what shall that life be then. We know not, when all our 
tastes are quickened ; when all that is in our worship 
and rejoicing therein shall have been purified and lifted 



214 

up, and W8 ensphered among influences every one of 
which touches for purity; every one of which, touching 
with joy and music, rises yet to blessings more and more ; 
we know not what that life shall be in all its amplitude 
and in all the infinite richness of its details ; but this we 
know, that it will be enough, and that we may well bear 
the discomforts of life. What to us, now is groping in 
darkness, who know that the morning shall come? 
What to us are burdens that seem to crush us to the 
earth, who know that we shall not go down to the earth ? 
What are sorrows that vex and interfere with the fair 
pictures which our fancy paints liere, who know 
that we shall be lifted up above all tears which God 
shall wipe from every eye ; and that we shall not walk 
in terror, despised, oppressed, outcast, pursued with 
varied misfortunes, but in the serene beatitudes of heaven, 
kings and priests, v/here the king shall be without power 
of oppression and the priest shall be without circumscrip- 
tion and limitation ; where we shall be sons of God, 
standing in the joint inheritance with him ? 

Most precious Jesus, Our Saviour, we turn again, we 
have looked into these things ; we take comfort even as 
watchers that look toward the growing East to go back 
to our tasks. We will let the day rise, nor trouble our- 
selves how fast its hours come. We stand in our lot. 
We thank thee for our birth. There are no troubles too 
heavy ; there are no cares and sorrows too many ; they 
are all sent of God. Thou that dost clothe the summer, 
and take care of the very weeds ; thou that dost permit 
the things that are noxious to us, but are wholesome to 
themselves, to grovv^ ; thou that dost take care of all the 
insects that sing swarming in the endless multitudes of 
creation ; thou that dost watch for the very birds ; thou 



AVE KXOW XOT WHAT WE SHALL BE. 215 

that art the lover of the very minutest things, and with 
vale and mountain dost muse and care for that which 
thou dost create ; why should we be afraid since we are 
named with thy name, since we are marked with the 
signet of thy grace, since we have given our life into 
thy hand, since our souls are in thy hands, since we 
dwell in thy house, and are consecrated to thee, why 
should we trouble om^selves and plough the furrows of 
distress ? 

Oh Lord our God, we beseech of thee that thou wilt 
cause us to be full of joy as we should be ; to lift up the 
eye of inspired faith ; to take hold of the hope by which 
we are to be saved. Grant, we entreat of thee, that we 
may walk henceforth more erect; less bent as men that 
carry burdens; less sordid and more and more stately, 
for we are dependent upon the care of him that never 
wilt leave us nor forsake us. 

Are there any that have come up hither with burdens ? 
Already have not they begun to relax ? Let the burden 
roll oif from every shoulder, at the foot of the cross ; may 
they find rest where thou foundest hardened man wait- 
ing, and may we find nothing but lightness and joy. 
We beseech of thee, if there are those that are called 
hither this morning with great trouble of heart, great 
afflictions, O may they find how bright even storms are 
when the sun can but once reach them ; may they know 
how to take their griefs, though they come like great 
drops of rain and fall down like showers. O may they 
know how to carry all their trouble to Christ ; or rather, 
in the midst of the cloud and darkness may they discern 
the form of another near them, and feel how rich they 
are in poverty and sorrow by the side of whom Christ 
stands. 



210 beecher's pulpit devotions. 

O, Lord Jesus, what wondrous condescension ! O, v/liat 
is there in us, tliat thou shouldst take such pains to love 
us ; tliat thou shouldst be willing to punish us ; that thou 
shouldst be willing to take the part of father or mother 
and watch over our outgoings and incomings, reproving 
us and teaching us the right way ; and that with many 
experiences thou shouldst enforce thy rules, still follow- 
ing after us to deliver us from our troubles ! How sacred 
is this care of God over us who deserve nothing ; who 
have no claim; who are less than the least before the 
mightiness of God; yet how dost thou make thyself 
humble like us to dwell with the heart-broken. 

O Lord! thou art revealed in the majesty of thy 
greatness, but more in the fruits of thy humiliation than 
any thing else to our thought ; that thou shouldst weep 
with us ill our distresses ; that thou shouldst bind up our 
broken hearts ; that- thou shouldst cheer us in the midst 
of fragmentary hopes ; that thou shouldst make the dis- 
asters of this world reflect from so many faces of diamond 
stones, each face a vision of heaven ; that thou shouldst 
make us to see in our darkness ten thousand suns shining 
afar off in the heavens ; that thou shouldst continue thy 
way and never be weary, not forgetting more than the 
mother her sucking child ; that this should be God 
eternal, and everywhere, spreading abroad, filling 
, heaven and overflowing the earth ; our God, in 
whom we have a right, and whom we call Father ; who 
lays sacred hands upon us day by day ; who numbers our 
sleeping hours and watches our waking hours, who is 
before us and behind us, and all round about us with 
thoughts of grace and mercy ! O what wealth, what un- 
deserved riches, what grace beyond all conception, is 
thine to us ! 



WE KXOW NOT WHAT WE SHALL BE. 217 

And now, Lord God, thou doest not these things for a 
reward. It is not that we can pay thee back with glad 
thoughts and grateful affections, yet, for our own sake 
may we love thee, and not to pay thee any thing. Thou 
art too generous to think of return, for thy grace is a 
gift, absolute and divine. O may we be unable to think 
of such things and not have our hearts melt. May there 
be such honor, may there be something like thee in us, 
that shall be touched with all this grandeur of grace and 
various divine mercy. May we feel after thee ; still 
calling out in the darkness, as children waking in the 
night call father, so may we call out for God ; and at 
times, even if we do not hear thy voice, may there be a 
form of a hand resting upon us, and that shall be enough ; 
for we shall take hold of it, though it be in the dark, and 
it shall guide us to the growing light ; for the day shall 
come, and the release and triumph. Therefore, with this 
firm hope and faith may we now go forward, not caring 
what men shall do unto us. Ours is God, and we can 
dispense with every thing else ; we fear thee, and there- 
fore we fear no other one ; we love thee, and are un- 
speakably rich therefor, though there were no other love 
for us. We desire, therefore, O God, that we may be 
upheld in our duties one toward another. Make our 
households more like an altar, an offering, a church of 
God. 

We beseech of thee, O God, that thou wilt have com- 
passion upon all those that do not know thee. Help us to 
spread the blessings of this Gospel knowledge to those 
that are without it. Look abroad upon this whole land ; 
w^e believe it is thine ; make it a mountain of holiness, a 
habitation of righteousness. O, thou that dost laugh 
when kings confer how to despise thee^ when rulers join 

10 



218 BEECHEr'S pulpit DEVOnOKS. 

themselves together, and wicked men make counsel and 
confederation, thou that dost laugh at them, and smile 
upon such in our time that do not deserve even derision 
in their infinite feebleness — have compassion upon them 
that seek to make chains stronger than the law of God ; 
that seek to bind those that are already hopelessly 
crushed ; and that seek to make highways of iniquity 
where God has cast up with sacred enginery the high- 
ways of salvation. 

O thou that in justice art full of love, overrule the folly 
as well as the wickedness of men. Bring forth thy bright 
decrees, and let righteousness begin to be glorious in the 
sight of men, and rebuke every kind of wickedness. May 
all the iniquities of injustice and oppression, may all the 
misrule and untruth, may all selfishness and hardness of 
heart, all arrogance, all avarice, and every thing 
that has opposed thee, be rebuked both by thy provi- 
dence and by the church of God ; and we beseech of thee 
that thine own people may not be the last to recognize 
the glory of holiness in human alfairs, but first and 
chiefest. 

Call forth witnesses, call thou forth those that shall 
stand in human affairs for God, and may we be of their 
number. May every one of us in his place be anxious, 
and bear witness, not for the truth, nor for himself, but 
for the God of truth and the cause of God in the church 
upon earth. May thy kingdom come everywhere; may 
all nations see the salvation of God. The earth hath been 
stranded ; and for want of water hath not been able to go 
on its voyage. O thou in whose hands are the floods, 
send down those waves that shall lift up thy ship and 
give it channel and voyage again; and may the day 
hasten when all around the earth, in the midst of light 



WE KNOW NOT WHAT WE SHALL BE. 219 

and knowledge, the light of virtue and true civilization, 
in Christianity ; when all around the earth among the 
many-tongued people of this globe, there shall be but one 
thought of peace, of gladness, of purity, of justice, of love 
toward God and toward men, and the word of the Lord 
fulfilled, that was uttered ages ago and is yet unfulfilled, 
and the glory of the Lord fill the earth as the waters fill 
the sea ; and to thy name shall be the praise, now and 
evermore. Amen. 



CLOSING PRAYER. 

Our heavenly Father, we beseech of thee that thou wilt grant thy 
blessing upon the word spoken. G-rant that we may have cheer from on 
high. May we not look down into dungeons for daybreak, but away over 
God's hills. May we look up where the stars are, and there, discerning 
the signs of the morning, may we begin to rejoice. We beseech of thee 
that thou wilt fill us with patience. G-rant unto us open-eyed visions of 
faith, and give us courage. Help us to say to doubt, " Get thee behind 
me, Satan!" and may it obey. And grant, we beseech of thee, that by 
thine own royal power this land, suffering and bleeding, may be lifted up. 
O blessed God, as aforetime thou didst send angels to minister to him 
that was bowed down, so send angels, we beseech of thee, to put to the 
lips of this expiring land that heavenly wine which shall fill her again 
with hfe, and with power to suffer more, if need be, that through suffer- 
ing she may conquer. Lord, we leave this country in thine hand. It is 
thine more than ours. Our love for it was lent by thee. If with our 
little hearts we still do surge with such desires, 0, what must be the deep 
desire of the great ocean of thy nature ? "Why then should we lift our- 
selves up to implead thee who art stirring us up with new zeals and new 
desires ? We trust thee. Our hope is in thee. 

0, thou who was the God of our fathers, and who art our God, we 
plead for thy cause ; we plead for the cause of the poor and the father- 
less, and the oppressed ; we plead for the degraded of the common people ; 
we plead for the ignorant ; we plead for our enemies ; we plead for our 
friends ; we plead for ourselves. Come, Lord Jesus, long delaying, 
pluck that veil from thy face which hides thy light; draw that hand 
forth from thy bosom that covers the beating of thine own heart ; reach 
out thy hand, nail-pierced, and shovr mercy to this land. Lead us through 
judgment at last to redemption. And to thy great name shall be all 
praise and honor, for ever and for ever. Amen. 



GOD OUR REFUGE— HEAVEN NEAR. 



AN EVENINa PRAYER. 



Thou, O God, hast made thyself a refnge for thy 
people since the world began, and unto the end thou art 
and shalt be a God full of tender compassion. Because 
thou art strong, thou art not forgetful of the weak ; 
because thou art pure, thou dost not despise the sinful ; 
because thou art wise, thou dost not lightly esteem us in 
our ignorance; but the boundlessness of thy nature is 
addressed to us as a universal supply of our want. Thou 
dost throw round about us the protection of thine own 
being. In thee we live, and move, and have our being — 
and, although at times thou seemest to forget, thou never 
dost forget ; and although at times thou seemest cruel, 
thou dost not willingly afflict nor grieve the children of 
men. Although thy yoke is harshly placed upon our 
neck, and thy burden bound upon our shoulders, what 
time thou pleasest thy yoke becomes easy and thy burden 
light. 

O God, we bear witness to the bounty of thy grace and 
to its sufficiency ; as our day hath been so has been our 
strength. Thou hast ministered to us. Thou hast not 
taken sorrow away, for then we had lacked grace ; thou 
hast not taken away from us weakness, for then we had 
no longer been human ; but thou hast given thine own 
shining self, thy guidance, thy infinite patience, thy 



222 BEECHEr's pulpit DEY0TI02TS. 

sympathy, by which we are drawn onward through all 
ways of trouble. Thou hast given ns to lean upon thee. 
When faint, thou hast held us up ; when fallen, thou 
hast lifted us, even as a mother her little child ; when 
wandering alone, it was thy step that sounded in the 
wilderness — thou didst come forth to seek and to save 
the lost ; when famished, thou hast been the bread of 
supply and sustenance; when sick, thou hast been 
medicine to us and the physician ; thou hast nourished 
us with a care exceeding all the tenderness of parental 
love— for what is there that is known under the name of 
earthly relationship, what depth of love and continuance 
of it, what variation of love to which men have put names, 
that is more than a spark that has fled from the great orb 
of thy being? Thou art love, and all the fullness of thy 
being comes forth to us, th}^ children, and in thee we are 
strong and safe both now and for evermore. For if we 
behold thee, Invisible One, then we can live; if we 
behold not thee, then we die. "With thee we are strong 
for all things, but without thee weak. 

We thank thee, thou blessed Saviour, for thy patience 
with us, for the gentleness of thy being, for all the 
encouragements of thy word, for all the remembrances 
which thou hast caused us to have of thy faithfulness. 
We take shame to ourselves for our ingratitude, our self- 
ishness, our pride, our unspirituality and indiflerence to 
God. We are ashamed of our fractious disobedience, that 
we have rebelled again and again ; we are not worthy 
to call ourselves by thy name, nor to abide in thine 
house, nor to be as children in the presence of a father — 
but thou hast not heard and will not hear the word of 
our renunciation. What time we plead our poverty, 
what time we come abjectly to ask for the lowest place, 



GOD OUJS REFUGE — HEAVEN" NEAR. 223 

thou dost throw about us the royal robe of forgiveness ; 
thou dost put sandals upon our feet and a ring upon our 
hand ; thou callest for the preparation of the feast, and 
we are received again in the estate of children in our 
Father's house. We thank thee that thou art giving thy 
dwelling to every one of us. And now we make men- 
tion in the assembly of thy faithfulness. We praise 
thee, we adore thee, we worship with rejoicing in thy 
presence. Our sin has been common, our weakness 
common, our want and likewise our experience of thy 
supernal bounty; and we have a common reason for 
standing together in gladness to-night. We express a 
common want in our sinfulness and weakness, and a 
common gladness in our thanksgiving and praises. Thou 
hast not dealt with us according as we deserved ; thou 
hast caused mercy to abound and superabound beyond 
our desert. 

Our chastisements have been fewer than our sins, and 
when thou has mingled bitterness in our cup, thou hast 
still forborne ; thou hast watched our need, ever taking 
counsel of the generosity of thine own heart — thou hast 
dealt according to the measure that was in thee, and 
not according to the measure of desert in us. Our souls 
are glad in thee; thou shalt live forever, and because 
thou livest, we shall live also, and all our way is plain 
and smooth. We behold salvation waiting for us ; we 
reach over by faith, we take hold of our crown of 
victory. There remaineth a rest for us if by unbelief we 
do not forfeit it. Ere long we shall take it. None shall 
have our crown ; none usurp our place ; all the flowing 
in of infinite numbers doth not fill up the places of 
heaven. There is room for all ; room for us there is and 
shall be. 



224 BEECHEIl's PULPn^ DEVOTIONS. 

We thank thee that thou art planting more and more 
the tokens of its coming. As they that draw near to 
popnlons cities see the swelling evidences thereof on 
every side, beholding the throngs that come and go, 
all the tokens of thickening habitation, so, thou art 
causing us to behold the near approaches to heaven in 
every day and on every side. The things that come to 
us and the things that depart from us, the weaknesses 
showing the giving out of strength and the taking down 
of the tabernacle, the dimness of sight, the dullness of 
hearing, the slowness of motion, the growth of pains 
and infirmities, the weariness of life itself, the cessation 
of more active duties, what are these but signals which 
thou art giving to us, the yearning for rest, the longing 
for those that are gone out from us, the sympathy with 
the general assembly and the church of the first born — 
what are these but sweet and golden cords let down that 
are drawing us in thine own pleasure, and we are drawn 
of them toward thee? Even so, come Lord Jesus, come 
quickly. Thou art coming — thou art drawing near to 
us. 

Aye, many of us thou art warning by thy very presence 
in our dwellings ; thou art taking those from out of our 
midst near to us, thou bringest them yet nearer to thee. 
How can we help seeking God when his bosom is the 
cradle of our children? How can we but know heaven, 
when with tears and heart- achings we walk all round 
about it to seek those that earth hath not any more but 
in memory ; thou art making the way familiar, thou art 
making it joyful. We are following in the path of those 
that sang and prayed and labored with us, whom we 
taught, whom we baptized, whom we led in life. Behold 
how numerous and familiar is the population of heaven, 



GOD Oiril REF0GE — HEATEN KEAE. 225 

since thou art taking it so mnch from around about us ! 
Thus thou art making it easy to die; thus thou art mak- 
ing it sure that we shall live again ; thus thou art 
changing sight to faith, which is far better. 

O Lord, we beseech thee that we may not be as brute 
beasts, nor insensitive to all the dealings of God with us. 
May we not turn away with a cold philosophy from those 
events of thy providence ; but may we grow riper and 
richer and sweeter in affection, more heavenly in every 
inflection of our life. O that the work were done and 
that grace had complete victory! But thou knowest 
when, and we do not. We scarcely understand our 
own life nor its relations at all to the other world ; the 
secret is with thee. But what time thou seest we are so 
tempered, so cultured, so prepared that this dawning of 
the life of the soul here may effulge and brighten in 
heaven, then take us that there we may find ourselves 
when we find thee, with that life which is hid with 
Christ in God, then may we appear when he shall appear 
in glory. 

Bless us in our coming together again to-night. We 
thank thee for this Sabbath, we thank thee for past 
experiences ; we would not let die the summer with the 
going out thereof We remember how thou hast com- 
forted us, instructed us, given us growth. We remember 
all the wondrous mercies that have at other times made 
our hearts soft and moistened our eyes with tears. We 
thank thee for the past, and wilt thank thee for ever- 
more. We take courage ; we believe that thou wilt be 
as thou hast been, only more abundantly, and we will 
trust thee. Yea, though thou slay us, yet will we trust 
thee, for thou art the living God, and all our life proceeds 
from thee. Thou wilt quicken us, thou wilt uphold us, 

10* 



226 beecher's pulpit deyotioxs. 

even in dying ; and out of death we shall come forth 
more alive than ever before. 

And now, we beseech thee, O Lord, that thou wilt bless 
not ns alone. Eemember all for whom we should pray. 
Remember the friends of our youth, our earthly instruct- 
ors ; remember our parents, our brothers^ our sisters, all 
the dear friends that we have on earth ; and grant that they 
may participate in the exceeding abundance and grace 
of the blessings of our God. We thank thee that thou 
hast sanctified our hearts, so that we can live with the 
thought of immortality in every throb. We beseech 
thee, bless us in the Sabbaths that yet remain ; may every 
one of them be days of transfiguration, un obscured days 
that we shall behold the eternal city, until at last the 
sabbath of rest shall dawn that knows no sun-risiug ror 
eun-setting, the light of which shall be our God ; and we 
will give the praise of our salvation in that eternal rest 
to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen. 



OOOASIOl^AL PRATEES. 



NEW TEAR'S DAT. 



DTVOCATION". 

Our heavenly Father, we stand in this place consecrated by ten thou- 
sand gifts of grace from thine hand. We cannot look back; our way is 
hedged up with mercies, and we stand upon the beginning of another 
period of time, desiring to take encouragement from the past and to look 
down into the future with full assurance of faith. Be pleased this morn- 
ing, thou that art the head of the church and the Father of this household ; 
be pleased to grant that this may be a year made happy indeed to every 
one of us; may ours, we beseech thee, be all that wealth and benefaction 
of mercy which is in Christ Jesus ; and in the opening services of the day, 
may we feel that thou art with us. May disturbing thoughts fly away 
that the sweet composure of faith and love may steal upon us. May we 
be filled with holy impulses and begin to speU that divinest name of 
Father. May we know that thou art here because we are drawn out to 
thee in loving aspiration and holy desire, and may thy word begin to shine. 
No longer art thou the Infant of Days. We come not to thee as a babe, 
but as a Prince and a Saviour. Thou art giving gifts from heaven. Grant 
unto us gifts of grace to-day. Bless aU the exercises of the sanctuary ; 
help us every one to receive as from the hand of God, and so to improve 
as becomes the children of God. We ask it for Christ's sake. Amen. 

BEFORE SERMON-. 

We rejoice, O tliou that dwellest in heaven, that thon 
art not confined in thy wisdom, in thy power, in thy 
goodness, nor in thine administration, to the heavenly 



228 beecher's pulpit deyotioxs. 

host. Throughout the whole domain, thou art the living 
God, and thy wisdom and thy power are felt wherever 
thou hast created. Nor art thou ever weary of thy 
work, and the least thing that had the sovereign touch 
of life remains forever before thee, and all the wants of 
all the creatures that thou hast made rise up before thee 
for perpetual supply. Thou givest liberally ; thou art 
inexhaustible in thy nature and resources. We cannot 
by searching, find out the nature of such an one, that 
dwells in unslumbering care, that knows no variableness, 
nor shadow of change, that outlives the passing genera- 
tions of men, himself never old, forever young ; fall of 
goodness. And yet it is not so strange that thou 
shouldst be so, though we cannot understand the fullness 
thereof as that thou shouldst be a God of such tender 
mercy, a God of such divine love. We cannot under-r 
stand how thou couldst bear us and carry us with such 
longing affections, and find in us reason for thy love ; 
how thou canst see that which is desirable in the midst 
of so much pride and selfishness, so many passions, and 
the hurtful ways to which they give rise. This is the 
wonder and the love of Christ to sinful men. The 
mystery hid from ages, is an unsolved and unfathomable 
wonder yet; but we rejoice in believing that it is so, and 
that the divine grace of love that fills the heavens is to be 
the salvation of the earth. This is om* hope. 

It is not that we are strong, nor wise, but that thou art all 
this for us. It is thy righteousness and not our own that 
surrounds us ; it is thy love to us rather than the love 
which we have to thee that encourages us; it is thy 
faithfulness and not our own perseverance that lays the 
foundation of our courage. We trust in God who is all 
in all, for thou art, O Blessed One, first and last, includ- 



2s-E-\y YEAPw's DAY. 229 

ing all between ; tliou art Alpha and Omega, and the 
whole alphabet. All grace and mercy and truth is in 
thee; and we rejoice in thee, not in ourselves, not in 
man, not in institutions of religion, not in any thing that 
is upon the earth. O, we rejoice in thee, that art the 
fountain of all excellence, the Father of mercies, and the 
God of all grace and goodness. We l^ave had abundant 
occasion to prove thee, and have put thee to proof, and 
we bear witness that thou art he that doeth exceeding 
abundantly more than we ask or think. Thy promises 
are never so large as thy performances, thou art before- 
hand with us ; and when we think that we are walking 
in a desolate v/ay, behold the footstep of God is before 
ns ; thou hast been there and prepared our way. 

We rejoice to find thee on every side of us, and to 
find that our life is hid in thee ; the secrets of it, the 
duties of it, and the duration of it, are of thee. We 
rejoice that we have such a friend, so gentle, so patient, 
so persevering. And this is the wound and the shame 
of our sin, that it is a disobedience and an unwilling ser- 
vice of one so gracious and so full of all noble excellence. 
We are ashamed when we reflect how little we have 
requited thy love with our love; thy reasonable com- 
mand with our filial obedience; we have sought each 
one his own way ; we have had our own will and pur- 
pose aside from thine and contradicting thine. O Lord, 
we are unworthy of thy name or of thy favor ; we only 
plead thy grace, saying, '*God be merciful to us sin- 
ners." 

And now thon hast completed the mercies and the 
history of another year; thou hast advanced ns to the 
first day of this year upon which we are entering. We 
would call upon our souls and all that is within us to 



230 beecher's pulpit deyotioks. 

bless and to praise thy name for the goodness of the year 
that has gone. Our record of it may have been of sin ; 
our record of resolutions broken ; our record of time mis- 
spent, of powers not legitimately used but turned aside 
against our secret convictions, against our own con- 
sciences, against the call of God's voice in us — powers 
not employed to their vast purposes and to their highest 
ends. 

Our record is indeed sadly blotted ; and tears and sor- 
rows, hopes not fulfilled, and aspirations not met by 
any adequate realization, fill our remembrance ; all on 
our side is human, weak, and wicked. If we look only 
to the year as we have marked it, it is not a year to be 
remembered nor sighed after as something to be brought 
back again ; but when we look at thy way with us, it is 
a year robed in mercy, growing with every day, and 
waning not one single hour. Thou hast made it a year 
of divine love, of pardoning mercy, of gracious guidance. 
Thou hast held us up and carried us in thine arms 
even as a mother carries her little child. Thou hast 
counseled us; thy rod and thy staff they have com- 
forted us; thou hast whispered to us in the hours of 
dullness and discouragement ; thou hast inspired us in 
our wayward moments, and brought u:s back again by 
Len thousand tokens ; thou hast showed thyself indeed 
I guiding God and a Father. 

We thank thee for the ministration of the year. It 
las past and gone to the judgment, and hangs there 
^vaiting our coming — a record that we must yet again 
know and read. And now we beseech thee, O Lord 
God, by the patience which thou hast manifested, by the 
gentleness which we have proved, by the grace which is 
revealed of thee, and by all that is of goodness in thyself, 



NEW year's day. 231 

we beseech of thee, take charge of us for the year upon 
which we have now entered. We are strangers to it ; 
we do not know one single path ; we are pilgrims and 
wander up and down in our several ways. Thou only 
seest the light and the darkness alike ; thou only seest 
the end from the beginning. Thou alone art perfectly 
wise, and all things are in thine hands for merciful 
administration. 

"We commend ourselves and families to thee for the 
year upon which we are entering ; and we beseech thee 
that thou wilt be gracious to us in our ordinary estate. If 
it be thy rich pleasure confirm to us life, a life of labor and 
usefulness. Bless us in our households ; bless us in our 
social relations, and all our affections, and to one another, 
and sanctify our love ; make it purer, nobler, and more 
heavenly. Bless us in our several secular duties. May 
we go abroad into all the relations of this life, canying 
the savor of the Gospel with us, sanctifying whatever 
we touch, bearing about the name not only, but also the 
disposition of the Lord Jesus. 

We beseech thee that thou wilt bless us in our individ- 
ual experiences. Some thou art just calling out of dark- 
ness into light, and they are this year being bathed 
with new hopes. Be gracious to them, and sustain them, 
that no trouble may overtake them mightier than their 
strength; that with every temptation they may have 
rescue ; and that they may know that they have entered 
this year with Grod the Father for theii* guide, Christ foi 
their Saviour, and the Holy Spirit for their enlightener 
and sanctifier. 

Confirm those that have been already some way ad- 
vanced in the divine life and have had occasion to 
prov^e thy mercies. We beseech of thee that they may 



232 beecher's pulpit detotioks. 

not be discouraged, nor turn back, nor refuse to bear 
willingly such burdens as are needful for tbeir culture. 
May those that have been for a long time in thy service 
and are ready to lay down their burdens, have still that 
same nourishing care which has never left them from 
their cradle until this day. 

We beseech thee that they may already taste that 
heavenly jov which is so soon to be theirs. Thou hast 
taken from us not a few during the past year ; they rest 
from their labors ; they are divided by the sense and by 
the flesh from us that we cannot see them nor speak 
with them any more; but they are not divided from 
us in faith, nor in love, nor in joy. We tarry yet a little 
longer ; thou art translating this church, thou art aug- 
mentino* the ranks of those in the heavenlv state that are 
glorified. O we thank thee that so many departing 
leave behind the savor of a holy life and the testimony 
of a triumphant dearth. We are comforted as we draw 
near, believing that the same grace that gave them 
victory, will give final release and victory to us. We 
beseech thee, if there be any of us appointed unto death 
in the year on which we have entered, may we not be 
afraid. May we know what is the meaning of that sound 
— death ; may we always hear the word Christ when it 
is jDronounced ; may we know that it is but that divine 
presence calling us home ; and may we feel every motion 
of death to be but the throbbing of the heart of God. 
May we long to depart to be in his bosom. 

If any are sick, wilt thou graciously sustain and com- 
fort them; visit them, with thy salvation, and make 
to-day their sick-chamber to be as light as the temple of 
God. May they feel that thou art present, and may 
their joys be as choiring angels to them ; and may they 



233 

have occasion for thanksgiving even in their sick-chamber 
and in their honrs of seclusion. 

Be with those that belong to us who are far away. 
Wherever they may be to-day, may it be a Sabbath — 
God's rest in 'their souls. If there be any present that 
are strangers among strangers, cause all heart-sickness 
and home-sickness to fly away quickly as they are in the 
presence of God, of Christ Jesus, and their brethren. 
May the joy of thy house banish all sad thoughts, and 
here may they renew their strength ; here may they 
taste the bread of life ; here may they renew their cove- 
nant, and here may they see that this is a gate of heaven. 
Be with us in the things we ask for, and wilt thou do 
for us all that we need. And thine shall be the praise, 
Father, Son, and Spirit. Amen. 



CLOSINa PRAYER. 

"Who, God, is sufficient for these things? Why hast thoi] sent ns to 
preach, and withheld the power ? "Why hast thou sent us to the human 
soul, that rolls in depth and majesty as the ocean rolls? And what can 
we do but stand upon the shore and hear its waves beat? Thou that art 
the pilot, and that in the storm canst command the wind and the waves — 
thou must quell the passions of the human heart. Thou must change 
the mind, and make it willing in the day of thy power. 

We beseech of thee that thou wilt by thy Spirit follow the word of 
exortatlon that has been given to-night. Thou hast solicited and called 
how long, and how many I And how hast thou been sent away from the 
doors of hearts that needed thee, and to which thou hadst brought 
treasures more than man can imagine! We pray for those that have 
ceased to pray. We pray for those that need prayer more than ever, that 
have fewer and fewer seasons even of thought, that grow hard with 
years, that are less and less troubled by sin, and that are more and more 
irreverent of religion. We pray for the children of Christian parents who 
sometimes weep at the memory of father and mother, but who never 
have thought of God. Lord, are there not those here who have looked 
at themselves as castaways, and who have reckoned themselves given 
over, but who are not given over, and who are not castaways, though 
they count themselves as unworthy of eternal life? Hast thou not pur- 
poses of mercy in thy sovereign will ? Hast thou not yet reserved arrows 
in thy quiver with which to smite the heart that has been long dead ? 
Wilt thou not bring forth answers of prayer in a strange and wonderful 
manner ? Are there not those present that have hovered upon the very 
verge of joys, who have longed and delayed, and resolved and hesitated? 
Wilt thou not put thine own arm around them, and lift them over their 
indecision, and bear them forward to unspeakable happiness ? 

Wilt thou not, Lord God, revive thy work in the hearts of thy 
people, and in the hearts of this church ? Wilt thou not gather in many 
of such as shall be saved, and edify them, and build them up into true 
and holy Christian life, for the honor of thy name, and for the glory of 
thy cause ? And to thee shall be aU the praise, now and for ever. Amen. 



RETURNING FROM THE SUMMER. 



Sabhath Morning, 

IXYOCATION. 

Thou that art love, thy works do manifest thee. Every hour comes 
laden with thy blessing. We are ashamed to ask thee for mercies as if 
thou needest to be entreated. Thou knowest, before we ask, what things 
we have need of; and therein is thy condescension, and thy great mercy, 
that thou dost make it so pleasant to us to come, and so needful to our 
connection with thee and our joy through thee, that even the things that 
are inevitable come better when we have asked them at thine hand ; and 
thou makest those things special gifts to them that ask, that otherwise 
would come as diffusive bounties. Be pleased then this morning to accept 
us, as we come to recognize thee as tlie source of all our good, our life and 
all the springs of our daily joy, our hope in the future. Lord, what is 
there in us ; what hope we for in time or in duration that is not quickened 
by thee ? And now, this morniog, grant unto us this chiefest of blessings, 
such a disclosure of thyself that we may see that thou art the great all in 
all ; and that we may recognize our relations to thee, and love thee aod 
adore thee and praise thee. Bless the reading and the interpretation of thy 
word, bless us in the songs we shall offer ; bless us in our communion 
of prayer and fellowship therein; bless us in every exercise of the day at 
home. May our houses be as sanctuaries of God; and may it be a 
heavenly day in all its parts and experiences to us. We ask it for 
Christ's sake. Amen. 

BEFORE SERMOX. 

We draw near to tliee, thou that art the fountain of all 
good, the source of all blessing : not because we feel the 
pressure of want so much, for the abundant mercies of 
thy providence have made us almost unconscious of out- 
ward want. It is not for us to say, '° Give us this day 



236 beecher's pulpit devotions. 

our daily bread/'' for our loaf fails not. Thou art so 
surrounding us, tliou art so enriching us, thou art so 
* making thy mercies intrusive, that we continually have 
more than heart could wish. And yet, "the best gifts are 
unsanctified, and have lost their best jiavor and pleasure, 
if they do not bring thee to us. It is not so much the 
things which we have, and those we love, as the love 
which they mean that gives us joy ; and it is thy bless- 
ing upon blessings; it is thy thought upon the things 
we daily need and have, that makes them seem to us 
inexpressibly dear. We rejoice in the very earth itself 
because it is thine. We rejoice in all the things that 
live and grow; because they were thy thoughts, and 
because they are the objects of thy care. What is dear 
to thee becomes dear to us; and what concerns thy 
thought and thine honor and thy glory, concerns us most 
intimately. And we draw near to thee this morning, 
more expressly to thank thee for our immortality ; that 
we have a heritage which is worthy of our paternity, 
knowing that we bearwithin immortal spirits. May we be 
satisfied with nothinp; that shall not have in it somethino^ 
of immortality. While we partake of the pleasures of 
life and the duties of to-day, may we stretch infinitely be- 
yond all these things, and hold in full survey the grandeur 
and the glory of that estate which is reserved for thy 
people in heaven. O grant that we may not sell our 
birthright for a mess of pottage ; grant that we may not 
be bribed of our heavenly estates by the pitiful bribes of 
wealth, or be bewildered by the fantasies of honor, or 
any of the sources of pleasure; but grant, we beseech thee, 
that we may live in this life v/ith a constant sense of sym- 
pathy with the life that is to come ; and that it may be 
more and more real to us^ that it may be brought nearer 



EETur.NiXG moM THE summ:ee, 237 

and nearer, that out of it raaj be ministered food for tiie 
soul, bread for the hungry, and the water of life for the 
thirst V. 

We beseecli thee to bless us this day, gatliered to- 
gether after the separation of the summer ; thou hast 
permitted us a church, a pastor, and a people, again to be 
united in exercises of devout worship before thee. We 
thank thee for all the mercies that have befallen us ; we 
thank thee that we come again in common faith of 
Christ Jesus, that we have fellowship of joy, of faith, and 
aspiration — that we travel the same path for the same 
blessed heaven. May this common relation which we 
bear thee sanctify our affections ; may we feel our oneness 
in Christ Jesus. 

Wilt thou bless the experience whicli each of us has 
had, the individual history and experience, and all the 
collective experiences of this congregation. Where thou 
hast brought sorrow, be pleased also to bring consolation. 
Where thou hast set up before any visibly the power of 
mortality, there reveal the glorious truths of immortality. 
Where thou hast given joy and gladness, sanctify it ; 
where thou hast brought disappointment and losses, 
sanctify them. Grant, we beseech thee, that every thing 
of every kind may be held consciously as from the hand 
of God, and may it bring with it a blessing. Whether 
thy mercies come in liglit or in shadow, whether they 
are of the day or of the night, may we accept them as 
from God, and so inevitable blessings. 

Unite us together more and more in the work of 
the Gospel. We feel that our sun is setting, our day 
is shortening; that which we do, we must do quickly; 
the night cometh when no man can work. Grant, then, 
that we make haste, that we may chide every idle way ; 



238 beecher's pulpit deyotioxs. 

that we may unite with more fervent purposes, more 
earnest zeal, purer love, and devouter faith in God, to 
establish in our day that part of thy work on earth which 
may here fall to us. May thy Gospel be preached with 
more simplicity, with more direct earn estness, and may 
it bring forth more abundantly than it has formerly, the 
fruit of the Gospel. Grant that this church may be 
reared up more and more to be a praying church, a 
laboring church ; may it be sanctified, and weaned from 
pride and worldly ambition. May it be established in 
the faith of the Gospel of Christ ; and grant that to the 
end of our lives we may thus serve thee ; and when at last 
the summons shall come to us, may it not be the surprise 
of sorrow, but rather of joy, and may we hear in the voice 
of death the call of God, " Come up hither." May we 
find at last our home ; and find there, safe and glorified, 
awaiting us, all that have been called from our side, all 
whom we have loved and lost. And may we find them 
again with eternal salvation, and there, ourselves safe, 
we will cast our crowns before thee, and give all the 
praise our salvation to the Father, the Son, and the Holy 
Spirit, Amen. 



THANKSGIVING DAT. 



INTO CATION. 

Our Father, we ask that thou will make this to be a day of gladness 
and joy to us. "We have turned aside as for some new-found Sabbath, to 
give thanks to thee, not as those that only thank thee in the sanctuary, 
but because it is sweet to hear each other's voice, and in fellowship of 
love to lift up our obligations and expressions of gladness ; and now 
help us, for thou shinest, and light is from thee. Grant, then, that we 
may be illumined to discern from thy word — that we may discern in all 
things the presence of God ; and may we be helped to speak, to pray, and 
to praise. And may this whole day be an offering of gladness, joyful 
indeed to us and acceptable to thee, which we ask for Christ's sake. 
Amen. 

BEFORE SERMON. 

Our heavenly Father, we thank thee that thou hast 
made thyself known to ns that we may perceive thee. 
"We are glad toward each other and thankful ; and yet 
such is the multitude of mercies and such at times our 
gladness, that when we have thanked those around about 
us, the argument is but begun, and there is nowhere 
that our souls can turn themselves and be satisfied with 
thanksgiving but toward thee; and then thou art no 
longer a God afar oflT, to be evoked with tears and strong 
crying. Thou seemest very near to us, and what time 
we find our words exhaled in gratitude and in love, we 
know that thou art drawing us as the sun draws the 
flowers. We speak thus silently to thee and rejoice in 
thee with inefi*able joy. We are glad to believe that we 



2i0 beecher's pulpit devotions. 

make tliee liappy^ thou that dwellest in an undisturbed 
security, and canst sweep by thy power around about 
this line, so that no man, if thou choosest, can rise up 
and disturb the harmony of thine own thought; yet 
thou art one that bendest from thine own height — thou 
dost come down by all the yearnings of thy nature ; thou 
dost both stir us up and teach us also to stir thee up. 
Giving and taking thou hast made to be the law of life, 
and art thyself chief participant in it. It is more blessed 
for thee to give than to receive, and yet it is blessed even 
for thee to receive. And thou rejoicest over us and thou 
art glad for us, and thou dost make thyself glad in the 
contributions of thy people in praise ; in those things that 
make them like thee, they bring to thee again. 

And we desire this morning to thank thee for our 
being, for all the hope that is in it, any dawn un grown 
and scarcely showing by its life yet to what we belong ; 
yet we believe that thou hast destined us to an immor- 
tality of which on earth there are no sufficient significant 
interpretations. It doth not yet appear what we shall 
be, but we hail that great and glorious, though undis- 
tinguished future. There is laid up in it enough, and 
our whole souls reach out after it ; when we are weary 
and discouraged seeking earthly things, we reach out and 
feed upon that future. Thou givest us as by an out- 
stretched hand something of the bread of heaven, that 
we may have strength to reach the journey's end and 
rest there. O, we thank thee that our journey is not a 
wilderness, though sometimes our feet are in a rocky and 
precipitous way ; but in the main thou hast caused our 
lines to fall to us in pleasant places. We have been 
sheltered by the sacredness of home ; we have known 
what were all the sacred teachings of love ; thou hast 



THAXKSGIYIXG DAY. 241 

shined upon us even as our fatlier and mother ; tliou 
hast sent thine angels to teach us through brother and 
sister ; thou hast revealed thy most inward nature to us 
through our own children and our experiences toward 
them. Our house has been our sanctuary, and Grod has 
been oui* teacher there. 

We thank thee for the mercies of the family ; for the 
discipline, for the things which we have had to suffer, 
for the things which we have had to enjoy. What are 
we that we should not suffer ? What are we, O blessed 
Jesus, that we should not take the baptism that thou dost 
take, and be crowned, as thou wert crowned, with thorns, 
yet hoping to be crowned, as thou art, with glory. We 
thank thee for trials, for care, for trouble, for the yoke, 
for the burden, and for the fulfillment of thy word, that 
thy yoke is easy and thy burden light. V/e thank thee 
for all our relationships together in society, especially as 
a church and congregation. AVe thank thee for our 
fellowship here, for the days of peace, for the Sabbaths 
that came to us evidently as dovas iiying from the very 
heavens, bringing peace and purity to us. 

We thank thee for all our joys, which we pray and 
yearn ibr again ; and especially, O Lord, we thank thee 
that thou hast permitted so many to taste and see that 
the Lord is gracious ; for our own and for their expe- 
riences of thine immediate presence and the outreaching, 
teaching, and power of thy Holy Spirit upon the word ; 
we render thee thanksgiving. 

How many have found each other in Christ Jesus that 
were unknowm before, though always living together !''^ 
How many now stand on a foundation that neither time 

* After a revival. 
11 



242 EEECnEIl's PuXriT i^evotioxs. 

nor death can shake ! how many have defied death and 
fear it no more ! O, we thank thee that thou hast snr- 
ronnded the things that make other men tremble of such 
sweet joy and such sacred understanding now in the 
light of the sanctuary, that we are lifted up by the 
things that cast down other men, that we come some- 
vvhat near that divine and sacred experience of the 
Apostle and are able, if not to rejoice in our infirmities, 
yet to see how we may rejoice in thee. 

We thank thee for all those things which we can so 
far utter, and for those glances; for those experiences in 
the communion of God in secret, for all those sudden 
and short and blessed wide-reaching visions tliat wehave 
had, for all the revelation and hope. 'We thank thee for 
those things that are forgotten by us and must be name- 
less before thee, because thou readest the intent and not 
aloiie the words that we speak. 

We thank thee, O Lord, that thou hast knit so many of 
us together in the bands of a holy and nourishing friend- 
ship, and that thou art causing the tree of life to have 
roots in our heart, and we are finding that in love the 
fruits are enough, the bread of heaven — the very leaves 
feel disease and are for the healing of the nations. 

I^ow we beseech thee that thou wilt accept our thanks- 
givings as citizens of this place, because thou hast shielded 
us in so great a measure, because thou hast given us such 
prosperity. Thou hast caused the doors of the sanctuary 
to swing wide open from Sabbath to Sabbath ; thou hast 
blessed us in our schools, and in all the various institu- 
tions of beneficence. We thank thee that there has been 
to so great an extent a year of abundance, that the poor 
have not cried. We thank thee that thou hast not 
ravished our borders with the angel of death sent forth 



THANKSGIVING DAY. 2^o 

ia judgment, or by mercy veiled in darkness and judg- 
ment. We thank tliee for all the commercial prosperity, 
for the abundance of the field, and for the abundance of 
the sea. We thank thee that thou hast caused laws to 
be so wisely observed, that thon art purifying the spiiit 
of law and the administration of institutions. We 
thank thee that in all these conflicts victory mnst come 
to the truth in so great measure, and that freed from 
bitter contention, thou art causing us more and more to 
know how to bear witness for the truth in the spirit of 
love. 

We thank thee, O God, that thou art causing the way 
to appear by which we are to be led out of bondage. 
Teach this great nation how to discharge the duty of the 
day in which we live — how, everywhere clothed in the 
spirit of divine justice, in the spirit of meekness and of 
love to go forth and purify the things most difficult in 
the name and by the authority and with the spirit of 
the Divine Master. Eemember, we beseech thee, in the 
hour of our gladness those who this day are in prisons. 
In their prison may they feel that they have abundant 
occasion of thanksgiving ; may they see through their 
walls as throuo'h a lens the verv city of God : may time 
not hang upon their heels as shackles ; may they feel that 
days are God's steeds, and that they are being borne ag 
in a chariot homeward. We thank thee that disturb- 
ances are signifying that the heart of the world is more 
and more manifestly toward the miilenium. We thank 
thee for all signals and portents, and we believe that thou 
art causing time more and more to represent the eternal 
purity of heaven. O Lord God, make haste. Employ 
such as thou wilt; work as thou wilt; lift up, cast 
down thunder. O speak in tliose whispers that thou hast, 



244 beecher's pulpit deyottoxs, 

by silence or by sound, by invisible things or by the 
powers that appear, in all Vv^ays at home and abroad, and 
round and round the world. O God, advance thy cause ; 
remember thy family, the family of mankind, bring us all 
into one blood-beat again; may we feel heart to heart 
the world around, and in the ^ame electric connection of 
love may the whole world experience at last the consola- 
tion of thy redemptive power, and stand disenthralled 
and united before God, a blessed brotherhood, baptized 
into purity, and then at last make those break forth 
accordant v.ith heaven and responsive to its choral utter- 
ances, a voice of joy the world around, giving the praise 
for its salvation to the Fatlier, tlie Son, and the Spirit. 
Amen. 



NATIONAL. RESPONSIBILITY. 

Sabbath Evening. 



BEFORE SERMON. 



Thou art for evermore God infinite and God over all 
the earth. Thou hast created all things, and thon gov- 
ernest what thon hast created ; and though thou dost in 
counsels of infinite wisdom permit in the realm of men 
things which we cannot understand, thou hast taught us 
by the mouth of thy servants, that clouds and darkness 
are around about thee, even when justice and judgment 
are the habitations of thy throne. 

AYe are not in haste to learn thy counsels, but desire 
rather to know our duty. Breathe upon us that spirit 
of sympathy with thee, that true and earnest desire to do 
that which is riglit, which shall itself interpret our duties 
to us. Grant, we beseech thee, that we may have a 
reverent fear of thee ; thou art greater than we ; thou 
art immaculate, of purer eyes than to behold evil with 
permission or with indifference ; thou art the Judge, 
knowing all and judging all. And we beseech thee 
that we may never forget that thine eye is upon us; 
thou knowest our thoughts and our feelings, and thou 
art searching the v/ays of our life. We rejoice that it 
is so ; we would not flee from thy presence, but whither 
could we flee if we would ? Neither heaven above, 



246 LEECIiEn'b PULPIT BEV0TI0:^;3. 

nor the earth beneath, nor the waters, nor the space 
beneath the earth, nor hell itself, could hide ns from 
thy presence ; thou art everywhere the All-beholding 
and the All-judging. Grant that we may not have 
that fear which is despotic ; may we have fear that works 
togetlier with love, that we may trust thee w^hile we 
revere thee. Grant, we beseech thee, that we may be 
quickened in the performance of every duty by the love 
Vvhicli we bear to thee; may we be willing children, 
grateful for thy kindness, full of fidelity, and desirous 
above all things to please thee. 

"We thank thee, our heavenly Father, that the lines 
have been cast to us in pleasant places ; we have indeed 
a goodly heritage ; we stand upon a sliore unshaken, to 
look out upon the nations of the earth that are rocked 
and tossed as a ship upon the sea bestormed ; we are 
in peace, while they are in tumult ; we are without blood 
or revolution, while they are in revolutions, walkmg in 
garments rolled in blood. '^ We rejoice in believing that 
their trials tend toward emancipation and glorious vic- 
tory. We believe that the footsteps of God are in the 
earth, that the shakings of the people are the signs of 
his coming for justice, for the deliverance of the poor 
and the needy. How long are the hoary prophecies 
waiting for a fulfillment ; thou art arousing them from 
the slumber of ages, and that which seers desired, that 
w^hich by their mouth was put upon record, now thou 
art bringing it forth into glorious truth. We rejoice in 
thee, and when w^e compare our privileges with those of 
nations abroad, we have occasion to humble ourselves ; 
we have not deserved an estate so much better than they ; 
thou hast doubtless for our fathers' sake blessed us ; we 

* Commotions in Europe, Battle of Solferino, 1859. 



NATIONAL PwESPOXSIBILITY. 247 

are the inheritors of prayers, of tears, of struggles, of self- 
denials, that in ages past thou didst inspire in our heroic 
fathers ; grant that we may be worthy at last of the 
heritage of their faith. Let us not cast our birthright 
vilely away ; may we stand in our places not simply to 
luxuriate and gratify ourselves in the riclies of our inherit- 
ance, but to understand them, to rejoice before God in 
them, to consecrate them, to perpetuate them, to trans- 
mit them to our children, and our children's children, 
through many generations. Be pleased, thou God of 
nations, to speak unto this people. Command justice 
and righteousness ; lay thine hand upon this people to 
restrain the wrath of man, and to cause the remainder 
thereof to praise thee. Establish churches throughout 
all our bounds, and put therein a true and testifying 
Christianity, establishing, ordaining, and multiplying the 
number of thy ministers after thine own heart, who shall 
not fear man, and who shall fear God ; and may they 
speak not the things that shall win favor, but the things 
that sb.all make purity. 

TTe beseech of thee that thou wilt unite the hearts of 
men together in common citizenship; may they be 
inspired with a common desire for purity, for upright- 
ness, for integrity in civil things. As thou wilt not per- 
mit us to stand drooping and dwarfed, grant that the 
rains of righteousness falling upon this great land, 
watering it upon the top and at the root, may cause it to 
come forward in blessed growth. 

May there be progress in civilization; may there be 
progress in all religious things ; may this nation spring 
forward and develop a nobler justice, a truer humanity, 
a better wisdom of Christianity, than has ever yet been 
seen in our midst ; and if there are throes and struggles 



248 

of birth yet, grant tliat we may be willing to take the 
Son of God, born more illustriously into the world, though 
it costs sighs and groans. By the laying down of thy 
life, O Christ, thou didst lift eternal life upon the world. 
Grant that we may not shrink at sacrifice and suffering, 
which are to bring forth yet a part of the glory of the 
time to come. And v^e beseech thee that thou wilt fill 
us all w^ith a sen.58 of our responsibility to God ; may we 
not feel that we are called in trivial things, but may we 
feel that tliou art putting upon us the w^eight of ages; 
may we confront the face of God ; may we stand as men 
that know they must ere long give an account of their 
deeds before the judgment-seat of Christ; may we live 
and perform our whole duty as seeing him who is in- 
visible. 

Grant, w^e beseech thee, that the word of instruction 
which we shall speak this night may be inspired of Grod's 
spirit ; may it come to the understanding, and approve 
itself before the conscience of every one that shall hear 
it. Prepare us for all the further duties of this day, and 
for the week upon which we have entered. Grant, we 
beseech thee, that nations beholding the spectacle sublime 
indeed that shall transpire, may have occasion to marvel 
and wonder, and to bless God for the integrity of those 
institutions that stand in peril, that stand in battle, and 
that stand after battle, inexpugnable and eternal. 

Grant that in this great nation there may be none that 
shall shrink from duty, none that shall fear to speak and 
act for truth and for liberty, none that shall retreat in 
the day of conflict, or stand indifferent, while heaven 
and earth are commingled. Grant that at last the issue 
may come which thou hast, as with a rising tide, urged 
Bteadily from year to year upon us, and from which we 



NATIONAL EESPONSIBILITY. 249 

may not shrink any longer ; grant, we beseech thee, that 
in this great day of conflict, when thou thyself hast 
swept the circuit, and commanded thy servants to do 
battle before heaven and earth, grant that the cause of 
righteousness may be lifted up, and inspired witli all the 
heroism of God, and may evil be smitten down and 
pierced through and destroyed, and God be honored, 
and justice re-established, and purity in the place of 
corruption stand forth, and all nations see the l)eginning 
of the salvation of God in the midst of this people. "We 
ask these things, not because we are worthy, but we 
know thee, thy greatness, thy magnanimity, and we ask 
them for thine own name's sake ; and to the Father, the 
. Son, and the Spirit, shall be praise evermore. Amen. 
11* 



CLOSma PRAYER. 

Our Father, we beseech of thee that thou wilt follow with thy blessing 
the truth spoken. We thank thee that thy word burns as an unquench- 
able fire ; and that when all the stars are hidden from our sight, there 
shines the light of thy teaching, which no storm can blow out and no 
cloud can obscure. We thank thee that when there is rude winter with- 
out, we may enter into the sweet tropics of thy revelation, and find 
blessings innumerable therein. Nothing can pluck away from us the 
sweet fruit of the tree of life in the garden of the Lord. We cling to 
thy precious Bible, which hath in it the liberties of the people. 

Lord Jesus Christ, teach us more and more to sympathize with 
thine own poor, and to take sides, for thy sake, and for the sake of love 
and justice, with all those whom men would use, and abuse, and spoil, 
and destroy. 

Be pleased, almighty God, to appear for the nations of the earth. 
Have they not waited long enough ? How long must that choral misery 
continue, that has chanted sadly and sorrowfully through ages ? As a 
dreary sound of storms that disturb the sea, and rock the forests, has been 
the cry of nations despoiled by war and oppression ; and how long wilt thou 
listen to this sad melody? When, crowned Jesus; when, loving 
Saviour ; when, patient and just Judge — when wilt thou come forth 
from thy hiding, and change tears to smiles, and groans to joys ? When 
shall that choral song burst forth, sweeping through the air and circling 
about thy throne, which shall proclaim the redemption of the world to 
the Lord God? Awake, we beseech of thee, from thy sleep. But thou art 
not asleep. What time thou risest the storm shall flee to the heavens, 
and there shall be a calm. Be pleased, then, to keep us from fear, and 
from the disaster of unfaith. May we, so long as thou art in the ship, 
leave thee, sleeping or waking, to control as thou wilt the storm, and not 
give way to impatience or terror. And when we have, with confidence, 
waited on thee, give us the unreserved reward of a blessed translation 
into the Heavenly presence. And we will give the praise to the Father, 
the Son, and the Spirit. Amen. 



FILIAL MEMORIAL. 

Sunday Morning, January 11, 1863. 



INYOCATIOX. 

Thou eternal God, we rejoice in thy infinite power, and strength, and 
goodness. Thy wisdom is over all the works of thine hand, and thy love 
is infinite as thy wisdom. This morning grant the rising of that sun that 
sliall cast hght inwardly in the soul. May we draw near to thee in faith 
and in supplication. May we also be able to draw near to thee by thanks- 
giving and praise and sacred song. May we draw from thy Word lessons 
of instruction. indeed, day by day. May we, in all the services of instruc- 
tion or worship, be divinely inspired and guided, that thy name may bo 
honored, and our souls profited. We ask it for Christ's sake. Amen. 

BEFORE SERMON. 

We rejoice, our Father, that thon art more to us, and 
nearer and dearer than any earthly parent can be. Thou 
hast taught us to love ; but we have been poor scholars. 
We know not how to love wisely. Our life is an experi- 
ment in its best parts, and it is altogether a failure in 
much that belongs to it in its human relations. But 
thou art perfect in loving, and thou dost descend with 
the glory of thy nature around about us, and art our 
Father more fully and more gloriously than it hath e»ii- 
tered into the heart of man to conceive. And although 
thou hidest thyself, and we marvel ; and art silent to our 
cry, and we wonder and despond, yet we believe that 
thou art, and that thou wilt reveal thyself. I^ot to the 



252 beeciier's pulpit devotions. 

bodily senses, but to the spirit, tliou wilt make thyself 
manifest when the time comes, and we are prepared to 
behold the King in his glory. Grant that we may have 
patience and faith during our exile from home ; and 
while thou art preparing us to return with joy and honor 
and glory, O grant that our hearts may evermore tend 
upward, and that we may make it the happiness of our 
life, and the strength of our household that we are 
journeying together toward the bright and promised 
land; 

Bless us in our endeavors to rear our children for bet- 
ter things than this world can offer them. We thank 
thee that there is so much stored here that is good, for 
which our heart should be grateful to thee ; but forbid 
that we should be misled to think that this is the only 
portion that thou hast given us. May we not be left to 
suppose that what we have on earth is the only food and 
drink which thou hast provided for our thirst and hun- 
ger. G-rant that we may behold the better land, and 
realize the more glorious promise which we cannot now 
understand. And may we aspire to bring our children, 
and all whom we love, with us through the perils and 
the mistakes, and the sins, and the disappointments of 
life, to that bright and blessed, sphere where there shall 
be disappointments, and sins, and mistakes, and perils no 
more for ever. 

We beseech thee that thou wilt especially look upon 
thy servants who have this morning stood in the midst 
of their brethren to signify publicly that they will rear 
these their children according to the spirit and the truths 
of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. O God, be merciful to 
them, and strengthen them. Give them wisdom, and 
patience, and gentleness, and firmness, and fidelity in 



FILIAL MEMORIAL. 253 

what they have undertaken. And may these children 
live, by and by, to comfort and sustain them. 

And we beseech thee that thou wilt remember all who 
aforetime have here presented their children before God, 
and solemnly dedicated them to his service. May they 
never forget the vows of these sacred hours. And may 
those feel rebuked who tarry behind in the duties that 
they have assumed, and in the purposes that they have 
formed. O teach every heart on whom thou hast be- 
stowed the gift of such little children as these, that it is 
a call of God to higher purity, to truth, to fidelity, and 
to Christian manhood. For who of us is fit to xear chii^ 
dren for thee ; to be teachers of thine oflfepring ? Grant, 
O God, that we may be strengthened to do our will 
toward our children, not by earthly love, but by the 
inspirations of a heavenly faith. 

And now that the fathers are going, may the sons be 
prepared io make their places good, and more than good. 
We thank thee that thou art making heaven more and 
more desirable as we draw nearer to it. Gathering 
there, with soimdless tramp which they only hear, are 
innumerable hosts, upon whom sin hath no more power, 
and death hath no more dominion. They are God's, 
and they are children of joy and hope for evermore. 
Thou art calling from out of our midst one and another, 
and some from every household. 

Thou, most merciful God and Father, that dost bend 
over us with thy bosom of love as the blue heavens bend 
over the earth with the sweet infiuence of light by day, 
and with stars of guidance by night, how can we speak 
to thee of all the mercies which thou hast made manifest 
to us and to ours ? We thank thee above all things for 
the revelation that thou hast made to us of the love that 



254 beecher's pulpit deyotioxs. 

there is in heaven. The great Heart that suffered yet 
lives and beats for us. We are wanted in heaven. "We 
are longed for there. Kot only do hearts yearn for us 
on this side, but there are those, of whom thou art the 
chiefest, O God of our salvation, who desire us in heaven. 
And while we wait, we are glad that thou dost experi- 
ence some yearning to have us go. Thou art taking 
many. For each one there is an opening of the gate of 
heaven, which on this side men call death, but which on 
that is called life. Lord, teach every one who is called 
to yield children, or friends, or companions, to do it as a 
Christian should ; looking through the sufferings and 
trials of this life to the glorious effulgence of the life that 
is beyond. We wait for it. We long for it. Living or 
dying, it is that we may reign with thee in heaven. 

We thank thee that thou hast granted us the teaching 
of thy sacred truth from childhood, and that the name 
of God has been made venerable to us by beiijg twined 
about the venerable names of our own parents. We have 
learned to love thee by learning to love them, as well as 
by the counsels with which they instructed us in loving 
thee. We thank thee that thou hast been pleased to call 
our father,*^ who has labored according to his strength, 
and whose work on earth is accomplished, to his rest, for 
which he has so long lingered, wondering why he went 
not. Bless his memory. And may that work which he 
began, go on still ; handed ft'om one to another. Grant a 
blessing to rest upon the churches that he ministered to, 
that he loved, and that loved him. May his teachings 
to them bear abundant fruit. Thou art gathering to 
thyself precious souls from among them, and he'aven 
grows rich. But earth is not poor, for when thou takest 
* Rev. Lyman Beecher, D. D., aged ninety. 



FILIAL MEMOEIAL. 255 

one tliou raisest up anotlier to take Ms place. And thy 
work shall not stop. Thou, O God, art not shaken by 
storms as we are. Clouds do not overshadow thee as 
they do us. Go on, then, and fulfill thy purposes, bring- 
ing forward one generation, and removing another, 
according to thine own sovereign will, thou tliat art 
King of kings, and Lord of lords. And at last bring us 
with exceeding joy, through the infinite mercy and love 
of Jesus Christ, cleansed and made meet for the heavenly 
society to thyself, that we may walk with the ransomed, 
and take part in that praise with which we will surround 
thy throne, giving to the Father, the Son^ and the Spirit, 
praise for evermore. Amen. 



CLOSIKG PEATEIL 

Our Pather, wilt thou bless us in this word of truth. We beseech of 
thee that thou wilt make the power of it to be more and more felt through- 
out this congregation, throughout the whole land, and tiiroughout the 
world. May we not be led astraj by any device of the human under- 
stan(iing; may we not, by the subtilties of intellect, be left to put our 
trust and faith in the things that men have. Reveal thyself to us so that- 
our life shall be love. Eeveal thy spirit in us so that our life to each 
other shall be love. May we love our enemies ; may we quench them by 
our love ; may we love one another ; may love abound more and more ; may 
it be the blessed gift of God to every denomination, and may we awaken 
to see the fulfillment of the long unanswered prayer, and may Christ see 
of the travail of his soul and be satisfied. We ask it for Christ's sake 
Amen. 



RETURN FROM ENGLA:>TD. 



Sabbath Morning, Nov. 22, 1863. 

INVOCATION. 

We draw near, thou that art never far from us, that in thy light and 
influence "we may know our son ship, and be able, with all thine, this 
morning, to call thee Father. Rejoice us with thy light invisible, in which 
our souls are clothed when we are near to thee. Help us to read thy 
word. Help us to sing thy praises. Help us to make a confession of our 
sins, and to aspire with all fond desires toward holiness. Help us this day 
to give thanks. And in communion and fellowship with thee, make this 
Sabbath memorable for the bounty of thy grace. 'We ask it in the name 
of Jesus. Amen. 

BEFORE SEEMON". 

Oun Father, we are this morning drawn to thee by 
thine own nature. Thou art present with ns even in the 
asking, and that which we ask is of thy presence ; for 
thon, in the greatness of thy fatherhood, art breathing 
that love upon ns, and onr unknowing hearts are taught 
of thee to say, Father. And this morning, thou dost 
shadow to us, faintly, what are the riches of that love 
which thou hast toward ns, and which thou art begetting 
in us toward thee. Thou art unfolding thyself to our 
thoughts, not in the greatness of thine outward power, 
which the heavens declare and the earth manifests, but 
in the more wonderful treasure of thine inward disposi- 
tion, where thy gloiy dwells, and where thou art promised 



253 BEECl'IEPv S PULPIT DEVOTIOXS. 

God, in tliine ineffable, in thy wondrous power of sacri- 
fice, in thy tender mercy and loving-kindness. 

We desire to be made to feel that all things are om^s — 
Christ, and God, and the realm wdiere they dwell ; that 
we are beloved as the children of the living God ; and 
that no good thing shall we lack npon earth, and none 
for ever. We have trusted thee blindly in days gone by ; 
and as little by little thou hast taught us more intelli- 
gently to trust thee, w^e have proved thy promises and 
thy nature, and never found thee wanting. And w^e, too, 
may entitle thee the God who dost exceeding ahundantly^ 
viorc than ids ash or thinh. 

O God ! our burdens have never been heavy enough 
to crush us. Though they be ever so heavy, when thine 
arm is underneath us, all troubles are not able to pierce 
us unto death, When thou that didst wear the crown 
of thorns art near us to sustain us in our grief, all our 
VvTestling with our guilt and its fears, and our abase- 
ment and anguish and distress have not been able to 
overcome us. Since we are bound to tliee by faith, 
notliing can separate us from the'love of God in Christ 
Jesus — neither things present nor things to come, nor all 
the wealth of trouble that the world has for us, nor all 
the things v/hich we fear in the great invisible future. 
Since we have thee, and consciously have thee, we are 
armed on every side, not against suffering, which is our 
right and baptism by which we take hold of thee and 
become thy disciples, but against its evils in over measure, 
so that it doth not destroy us. Yea, we can, like thyself, 
give our life and still keep it. Having power to lay it 
down, thou hadst power to take it up, and thou hast said, 
" Because I live, ye shall live also." And so we are 
bowed down in a death anguish, and yet lifted up into 



RETCBK FROM EKGLAISTD. 259 

newness of life every day ; and every day, tli rough cruci- 
fixion, we grow strong with the power of Christ, and are 
borne up by it. 

So thou art teaching ns the wondrous lore of thy king- 
dom v»ithin. And its mystic truths are unfolded through 
our experience, and not through our thought. Things 
which we may not understand by the book and by the 
letter, little by little thou leadest us as by the way, and 
behold ! they are written in our hearts and we understand 
them. O God, thou hast laid up themes for gratitude 
for life eternal in our experience ; and we desire this 
morning to accept all thy mercies to us through Christ 
Jesus. AVith expressions of gratitude, we desire, this 
morning, to recognize our dependence upon thee. Our 
great un worthiness is illustrated by thy great glory and 
goodness. We are witnesses, our father, for thee to-day ; 
and in the presence of thy people, and before the great 
congregation, we desire to join hands and hearts again, 
invoking thee as our God. Thy service shall be our life. 
Our hearts are temples of the li^dng God ; and though 
idols have been set up there, thou, O God, dost not desire 
the temple, but the idol only. And in great mercy thou 
wilt make all things that are dear to us, dearer by depriving 
them of their power in undue measure over us. Thou 
wilt lead us through humiliation to exaltation ; thou Vsilt 
lead us downward, that we may stand not far from thy 
throne. Thou wilt make us like thvself. Knowino; the 
baptism and knowing the cup, we still say, " Let us not 
sit far from thy right hand and thy left in thy glory." 
We, better instructed than the children that came unto 
thee ambitiously, knowing what it is to follow Christ, 
desire still to follow. Though it be a crown of thorns, and 
the road to the cross/ we desire to keep thee company. 



2G0 beeciier's pulpit beyotioxs. 

And be pleased to accept this morning our consecra- 
tion. 

We have hung heavy npon thee; we have been chil- 
dren that drew backward and wandered incessantly from 
the right way. Thy patience^ had it been other than di- 
vine, would long ago have been weary with us ; and yet 
we adore and admire that patience that has not been, 
weary. And we cast ourselves now, unworthy as we are, 
upon thine hands and upon thy heart. Do thou, dear and 
loving God, love us, and teach us to understand thy love, 
and to l^eturn it ; and give us augmented affections, by 
their being purified, till we may, day by day, live more 
in this divine atmosphere. And while we are in the 
world, taking part in our necessary duties here, may we 
still live incessantly in the spirit of Christ, and for the 
things that are dear to the heart of Clmst. May we be 
able to consecrate our business, our ambitions, our plea- 
sures, our inmost affections, our households, and all that 
we have, to the service of the Lord our living God. 

Our Father, we thank thee that we are again in thy 
presence. The desire of our heart is fulfilled, and we 
stand again in thy courts, v/here we have prayed and 
longed to be. Thou hast been gracious to us in distant 
lands and upon the sea ; and thou hast returned us again 
to those who are dearer to us than life itself — to our own 
people and to our own home. And v/e desire, O God, 
this morning, to recognize thy goodness, which we can- 
not speak ; and we desire that thou wouldst be pleased to 
accept the residue of our life, that thou wouldst make it 
more and more efficient in thy service, that nothing may 
win us from Christ, that nothing may win us from his 
work, or from the sacrifices that he requires ; that we may 
become more and more simple, and truthful, and humble. 



RETTTRN FROM ENGLAND. 2G1 

and consecrated to our duty among men. And we be- 
seech of thee that thon wilt accept the gratitude of this 
congregation, and their affection. And we pray that 
they, too, this morning, with their first and sweetest 
exercises of v/orship, may give themselves anew to God 
in the highest consecration, and for the service of God in 
the midst of their fellows. May they not seek selfish 
advancement. May they be delivered from all pride 
and vanity of disposition. And we beseech of thee that 
this church, now united again — ^pastor and people^may 
be more holy, more full of the Spirit of the living God ; 
that out of this church, as fi*om the temple of the Lord, 
there may go forth more gospel of love, that shall be for 
the regeneration of the world. 

And we beseech thee that thon wilt bless all the 
families of this congregation — all that are in thy presence 
this morning. Thou hast dealt sorely with many, but not 
hardly. Thou hast given them to be united witli Christ 
in suffering, and art holding for them the fulfillment 
of the promise, that if they suffer with him here, they 
shall reign with him hereafter. Put thine arm round 
about those who are still weak with trouble ; those that 
wander, calling their Father and finding him not ; those 
that cannot subdue the natural feelings that spring up 
under the chastisements of thy providence. O God, thou 
art the Teacher, Guide, and Comforter, Be with those 
that must yet walk in the darkness or in the fiery furnace, 
and sustain them in all thy dispensations, that their faith 
ma}^ not fail, and that thy work in them may be per- 
fected in thine own time. And upon those who are 
struggling under cares, and burdens, and griefs, and 
disappointments, lift, we beseech thee, the quickening 
light of morning. 'We are yet walking in the twilight, 



262 beecher's pulpit devotions. 

but now, wlien sunrise is at hand, how near to us is tho 
coming of that tranquil kingdom from whose sky is 
banished cloud and storm and trouble. And let the 
vision of the near future overcome the present, that Vv^e 
bear our cares and drink our cup, and, with joy and songs 
in the night, show forth the power of God to sustain his 
aiuicted people. 

And, we beseech of tliee, remember not only this 
church and congregation, but all that are gathered in 
the sabbath-school and in classes for instruction in thy 
word. Those that teach — may they be taught of God ; 
and those that learn — may they learn the veritable love 
of thy Spirit. 

We beseech thee that all the churches gathered to- 
gether to-day may be filled with thy light and presence. 

Remember our whole land, thou that art guiding us 
in a way that we know not of We commit ourselves 
to thy paternal care. Give wisdom to the State and 
ITational governments. May the President of these 
United States continually be inspired and led by the 
Spirit of the living God. May those that are his coun- 
sellors have the light of purity, and truth, and faith. 
And grant that our armies may be prospered, and that 
victory may at last come when we shall have been pre- 
pared to use victory in consistence witli our own princi- 
ples. Unite this people more and more. May they 
come faster and nearer than they themselves think to 
those great essential truths on which also they can stand 
in firm prosperity. 

Have compassion upon the nations of the eartli. Ee- 
member the people with whom we have sojourned. 
Grant, we beseech of thee, a blessing upon all that are 
in authority there ; upon all there that love thee, and 



EETURN FKOM ENGLAND. 263 

call upon tliy iiaine ; upon all those there that are in 
ignorance, struggling in tlieir distress upward, and seek- 
ing a place to stand on as men. And grant that all the 
nations of the continent, and all the nations of the world, 
may begin to march, hearing the sound of thy trumpet 
and warning. And, turning their faces toward tlie 
bright light of truth, may tliey begin to come forward, 
until the whole earth shall be in procession, and God 
shall be their leader. 

Hear us in these our petitions, and answer us for 
Christ's sake. Amen. 



CLOSIlS^a PRATER. 

Thou tliat hast bowed down thine head for us, thou that art a Prince 
and a Saviour, but wert despised and rejected for our sake, blessed be thy 
name that thou hast not forgotten in all thy glory our poverty, our trouble 
and temptation ; thou art vnth us yet more than thou wert in Jerusalem 
with thy disciples. No bodily flesh separates between thee and us ; no 
hindrance ; now, thou canst enter in and dwell with us. Be pleased, then, 
thou that sendest light and truth, to enter into every heart and fulfill the 
promise that thou wouldst come and abide and sup with them, that thou 
dost become a friend in all the offices and intimacies of friendship. We 
bseeech of thee that thou wilt so search us, so try us, and teach us to see 
what things are evil, to strive against sin, and to resist it to the uttermost. 
Teach us to be true before G-od, and not mock thee with a lie ; teach us to 
be true before the power of our own consciousness, and not fall into that 
serious delusion. Grant, we beseech of thee, that we may be strong in all 
the things that are right, and manly, and fearless, and open, and that we 
withdraw ourselves utterly from the secrecies of iniquity ; that we may 
utterly abhor transgression, and turn from it ; but in this struggle, in this 
whole conflict, in all the way of our imperiled life, through all the valley 
and the shadow of death, be with us, that we may not trust ourselves 
alone, but that our strength may be inspired by thine and our wisdom 
made sure by the inspiration of thine, that we may work out our salvation 
witl^ fear and trembling, because it is God that worketh in us to will and 
to do of his good pleasure. And if we appear in Zion before God, we will 
give the praise of our salvation to the Father, the Son, and the Spirit. 
Amen. 



FAST DAT m WAR. 



A2jrU 30, 1863. 

INVOCATION. 

Be pleased, AlmigLty God, this morning to smile upon us ; for we are 
drawn hither by thy Spirit, moved, we trust, to repentance and to con- 
fession before thy great and reverend name. Prepare our hearts, then, 
for the ofQces of this work. Withdraw our thoughts from things that 
shall hinder. Lift up our minds to that sphere where tliou dwellest, that 
we may take the measure of human judgments and of human wants from 
thy inspiration. And may the exercises of the sanctuary to-day, and the 
exercises of our homes, be acceptable in thy sight. "We ask it for Christ's 
sake. Amen. 

BEFORE SERMON. 

Almighty God, give iis tliy divine influence, by whicli 
we shall reach forth to thee and find thee. Let U3 not 
to-day take counsel of our weakness, nor of our sins, nor 
of our passions. liaise us by thine own inbreathing, that 
we may think of thee from our own conscience, from 
love, and from that in us w^hich is higher and diviner, 
that we may come to the knowledge of God indeed. 
And grant that we may be so separated from our own 
sympathies and self-pityings, that we may for the time 
stand by thy side and look back upon our life, indi- 
vidually and collectively, and measure it, without shrink- 
ing, as thou dost measure it, and pronounce sentence 
upon it, as thou, from out of the law of righteousness, 

12 



266 beecher's ruLPiT devotions. 

shalt judge it. Deliyer lis, we beseecli thee, from the 
delusions of sin, and from that blindness which we bring 
upon ourselves by self-flattery. Deliver us from a dis- 
position to defend our misconduct. Let us not seek to 
extenuate or palliate it. Grant that we may behold our 
delinquency, or our complicity with others that have 
sinned, and that with simpleness and singleness of heart, 
and true contrition, we may confess them all before thee; 
and may, with full purpose of heart, covenant to forsake 
our transgressions. 

Grant that every one of us may this morning review 
his own state. Reveal to us by the Holy Spirit what we 
are. Grant that wo may have some estimate of how wo 
stand in the presence of our God. And help every one 
of us with secret thought and with silent fidelity to 
measure and estimate and confess his individual sins be- 
fore thee. Whatever there has been of selfishness, of 
guile, of hardness, whatever of pride and vanity, what- 
ever vagrancy of imagination, whatever of neglect of 
things that were incumbent upon us, whatever of unper- 
formed duties, O Lord, help us to confess it with con- 
trition of heart. They are sovereign delinquencies, for 
they are against thee. Our sins are buffetings, and we 
have smitten him whose patience bears with us and gives 
us the very power to sin. We pray that we may feel to- 
day how hateful it is to take advantage of God's good- 
ness that should lead us to repentance, and build upon 
it an argument for carelessness and continuance in wrong- 
doing. 

O God, may we be melted by thy love, and drawn away 
from the wish to sin. May we have that ingenuousness 
and frankness of heart which shall, when we detect or 
even suspect our wrong, fill us with sorrow, and bring us 



FAST BAY IN WAR. 267 

speedily to thee for confession and for strength against 
easily besetting sins; for only thou canst cleanse ns. We 
have not the power to cleanse ourselves. We can in 
each case discern the wrong, for we may separate it, and 
resist special temptation, and know that we are responsi- 
ble ; and yet life flows, not with single drops, but as a 
flood, and we are caught, and whirled, and whelmed in 
the multitude of its events. We cannot find out all 
sinful tendencies nor waive them. Every day we find 
that we have been inspired by things not suspected ; that 
we have over-measured or under-estimated ; and con- 
tinually our judgment is against us, and we know that 
unless there is given us that sovereign inspiration of God 
which shall cause us to dwell in that higher atmosphere, 
and that holier moral disposition which temp>tation can 
scarcely shoot so strong as to hit, we cannot maintain 
ourselves nor please thee. Grant, then, that we may 
have the divine help to be lifted above the region where 
temptations mainly roll and dash, that we may be secure 
and pure. 

Grant, also, that we may look into our households, to 
see what is wrong there, and that with an inspired hand 
we may put that right which is wrong. Deliver us, we 
bt^seech of thee, from that wickedness of pride which 
shall make us unwilling to do that which is right, because 
we have done that which is wrong. Grant that we may 
examine the law of our lips and see if we have sinned 
there. May we examine our hearts, and know if tb 3 law 
of love or unkindness is there. May we see what 
fidelities we have meted out on every side. Maj it be 
our honest and earnest purpose to serve God more 
faithfully in our households than ever we have done 
before. 



263 eeecher's pulpit deyotioa^s. 

And, O God, grant us heart-sear chings and strivings 
of the Spirit in regard to the whole sphere of duties that 
have lain so lightly upon us in respect to our neighbors 
and our fellovr-men. How liave we sought chiefly our 
own good ! How hard have been our affections ! We 
have not been easy to be entreated. We have not 
counted it better to give than to receive. We have 
come to be ministered unto, and not to minister. We 
have refused to be servants of others, that we might 
thus be chief. We have sought our own glory, and 
walked in the light of our ov/n interest. We have 
been of the world, worldly. We confess our trans- 
gressions. We see the better way, O Lord God ; and 
how shall we walk in it ? The purpose is with us, 
the law is holy and just and good, and we do approve 
it after the inward man ; but how, in the seductions of 
the world, in the allurements of the feelings, shall we 
walk according to the lordliness of thine example ? 
Grant, O God, that, with a sense of our misconduct and 
sinfulness, and of the hatefulness of it — grant that, with 
a sense of the beauty of holiness in this sphere of action 
and duty, we may have from this time forth grace 
ministered to us to do better than we have ever done 
before. 

And we beseech thee that thou wilt also help us to 
review the sins that lay upon as a burden, in view of 
our connection with this great civil estate into which 
we are born. We cannot withdraw ourselves from its 
care and responsibility. It is ordained of God, and our 
duties as citizens are a part of our duty to thee. We 
are called of God to frame laws ; we are called of God 
to appoint officers to execute those laws ; we are called 
of God to determine all the policies of this great na 



FAST DAY IN "WAE. 2G9 

tion ; and we look npon our life to see whether we 
have served this nation according to its desert, accord- 
ing to the purpose that God had in its establishment, 
and according to all that it was sent to do for this poor 
sin-smitten world ; and we behold how, through our 
negligence, it liath been tampered with, poisoned, cor- 
rupted, and diseased; how, while we have slept, the 
enemies of God have been wakeful and jubilant ; and 
how iniquity hath stolen the march of goodness. 

"We mourn over our past delinquency, our guilty 
silence, our culpable indifference, our selfishness in 
security, our fear of reputation, that held us back from 
faithful testimonies in the days of trial. We look at our 
indifference toward those that have been, wronged, and 
bear our part of the guilt of wickedness and oppression 
in this land. O Lord, we pray that thou wilt hold thy 
people in the hollow of thy hand, that they may look at 
the oppressions of those who have suffered a thousand 
times more than they. When they rush to war to vindi- 
cate their own rights, may they not be deaf to the out- 
cries of the oppressed. And may we remember that if we 
jiave not ourselves put the yoke upon them, we have 
helped to lay that burden on them which they have 
been yoked to bear and draw. If we have not inflicted 
the suffering, we have stood consenting, and bearing the 
clothes of those who were stoning and beating them 
down. We have known that our brethren suffered, bone 
of our bone, blood of our blood, children of redemption, 
heirs of Calvary, God-thought-of, angel-watched, con- 
voyed by sweet and blessed messengers from the throne 
of the universe, and tending to the same heaven to which 
we are tending ; and we have been indifferent to their 
great trouble. We have suffered oar land to be overrun 



270 BEECH jr's pulpit DEyOTIO:^TS. 

by injustice ; the ways of government to be perverted ; 
and, from interest, from a sense of our ovv-n security, and 
from a most unrighteous indifference to the wrongs of 
others, v*^e have allowed this great evil to come upon the 
nation. 

And now, O Grod, thou hast come down to hear the 
cries of those that have pleaded long, but whom we would 
not hear. And we are suffering beneath thy blows. 
We cannot help it ; and we rejoice that thou art a God 
that will hear the oppressed, though we are their op- 
pressors. Tliou, O God, wilt vindicate the poor and 
needy. If they are dumb, they need not speak to be 
heard ; if they are utterly helpless, the right hand of 
Omnipotence is theirs. And all the reasonings of men, 
and all their glozings of deceit, and all pretentious ex- 
cuses are in thy sight as the dust of the summer's 
threshing-floor ; and when thou shalt breathe thy winds 
upon them, they shall be sv/ept away utterly and for 
ever. 

We adore thy throne of judgment, that stands unmoved 
in the midst of war and confusion ; and we humble our- 
selves before thee to-day, not attempting to discriminate 
between om- sins and others, but asking thee to accept 
the confession that we make for our unmeasured trans- 
gressions. "We discern and feel that as members of this 
great nation we have most grievously sinned against light 
and knowledge, against the truth of thy word, against 
every principle of our own laws and institutions, against 
our own education, against the generous sentiments of 
every unperverted human bosom. We have sinned 
against examples. We knew that we were doing wrong ; 
and our briberies have been the goods that perished in 
this world. And we have been brought into this exigency 



FAST DAY IX WAE. 2*71 

because we have taken a mess of pottage for our birth- 
right of liberty. 

May we not add other sins to the past ones. Let us 
not seek anew to deceive thee as we have deceived our- 
selves, and sought to deceive thee in times past. Let 
tliere be a thorough work wrought in this people. We 
thank thee for any signs and tokens of remembrance, and 
we pray that thou wilt restore us to the love of simple 
justice, and that tlie rights of men as children of God 
m:iy become precious in the sight of this great nation. 
And prepare it for that mission for vdiich we trust it is 
now passing through the fire. 

Be i)leased to remember all that are in authority. Be 
with the President of these United States. We thank 
thee that thou hast given him so much of wisdom ; and 
that thou hast been pleased to guide him so safely and 
so prudently thus far. Yet upiiold him. Augment his 
vdsdom with gathered experience. Make him^ more and 
more simple and single for justice and righteousness. 
May all those that are his counselors be themselves coun- 
seled of God. And may this nation, by its government, 
be led in a way that it knows not of. May the generals 
that command our armies be more and more men that 
shall love the principles of that government for which 
they contend. Grant unto them victory. Grant unto 
our armies the power to cope with those that are in 
battle array against liberty and its constituted govern- 
ment. Overthrow rebellion. Change the minds of those 
that are now involved in its mischiefs. Restore them 
again, we beseech of thee, to the love of union as the 
instrument of liberty. And we pray that thou wilt not 
give us peace, until thou shalt have prepared this nation 
to be the champion of human rights and liberties. Still 



272 beeoher's pulpit devotions. 

stir us up ; and, if need be, cliastise us again and again, 
•oiitil by our suffering we shall come into sympathy with 
those that suffer. Then may our righteousness be as the 
morning light. Then let the choral testimony of the 
multitudes of this land be heard rolling as the anthem of 
salvation all around the world. Then may they that sit 
in darkness, wondering that the sun hath risen in the 
west, rise up. Then may the nations that are oppressing 
their common people be overthrown in their dynasties, 
and the rights of men be established everywhere. Then 
may there speedily be heard that glorious song, that shall 
fill all the heavens above, announcing that the cause of 
the nations in this world has become the cause of our 
Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, and that he shall reign 
on the earth. And the praise shall be given to the 
Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen. 



MOUEKING BECAUSE OF WAR. 



Sabbath Morning^ Jaii. 24, 1864. 

INVOCATION. 

Thou Eternal God, out of the infinite fullness of thy love breathe forth 
the supply of life for us ; for in thee we live, and move, and have our 
being. With gratitude for the past, and believing that thou art more 
pleased to give than we are to receive, we come imploring a continuance 
of thy mercies. Give us the illumination of thy Spirit, that we may read thy 
word with understanding hearts, and that we may join in sacred ascrip- 
tions of praise by prayer and by singing. Grant unto us the moving 
power of thought, that w^e may know what are the things of truth, and 
that we may ponder them for our good. And may all the services of the 
sanctuary give evidence of thy presence, and bless us. We ask it for 
Christ's sake. Amen 

BEPOEE SERMOX 

Unto thee, O God, shall all flesh come. For the whole 
world hath sighed for thee. This creation, that hath 
groaned and travailed in pain until now, not knowing 
what it needed, needs thee. For in thy bosom only is 
consolation for all that are afflicted ; is strength for all 
that are weak ; is healing for all that are sick ; is forgive- 
ness for all that are sinful. Thon, O wonderful God, 
hidden from onr outward sight, sittest in the center of 
creation, reaching forth the arms of love and of snccor, 
to nourish, to nurse, to create, to sustain ; to annihilate 
and utterly sweep away evil. Unapproachable and in- 
comprehensible, thou hearest the cries of thy creatures ; 

12* 



274 BEECriER's PTJLPIT DEYOTIOXS. 

thou knowest their wants, and in thine own invisible 
and mysterious way thou art eternally active, giving 
endlessly forth from thine own self the stores of being 
and of succor. 

We rejoice before thee ; and since thou hast been 
pleased to reveal thyself to us, representing imperfectly, 
and yet sufficiently, what thou art, in all the sweet and 
familiar images of love, and in all the blessed relation- 
ships of human life; since thou hast come into this 
world, not alone manifesting thyself in the person of 
our Saviour, but giving us our language, our institu- 
tions, and our customs, whereby to represent thj'Self to 
our dormant and uncomprehending mind ; we discern, at 
last, the beginning of thy being. O Grod, we desire to 
hush every fear and all repining. Thou art supreme. 
We need not tell thee any thing. Thy wisdom is all-com- 
prehending. The end from the beginning thou knowest. 
Every hair of our head is numbered. IsTot a sparrow 
shall fall to the ground without our Father's notice. 

The coming of winter and the going thereof — the pro- 
cession of the seasons, and all their variations, are before 
thee. Man and his wants, nations and their wants, 
thou dost behold. We rejoice that all things are naked 
and open before him with whom we have to do. There 
we have succor where best we are known. There we 
have consolation where most there is purity, and know- 
ledge, and wisdom, and power. But, O Lord, we cannot 
but wrestle with the questions of life — why thou art so 
long in coming ; why nations so 4ong sit in darkness ; 
why wars and their cruelties march in such gigantic pro- 
cession over the earth. When, O God, when shall the 
fires go out ? When shall thy kingdom be established in 
all the earth ? When shall men, forsaking their animal 



MOUENING BECAUSE OF AVAR. 275 

and begin to live in tliat wliicli is God- 
like ? We beseech of tliee^ thou King of ages, look forth, 
and delay not thy coming, for the earth doth wait for 
tliee. The cries of the poor — have they not come np into 
thine ears ? And the oppressions of the strong — has not 
thy heart felt them ? Thon that art the refuge of the 
afflicted, how populous must thou have been, if all 
that have been in affliction in every age have taken 
refuge in thee ! Be pleased to advance thy kingdom, 
and to make haste, in these latter days, to fulfill the pre- 
dictions and promises which respect thy kingdom through- 
out the Vv'orld. 

We beseech thee, O God, to help each of us in his 
place to advance the kingdom of God in his own dispo- 
sition by patience, by humility, by self abnegation, by 
love in a true benevolence. May vv^e lay tlie foundations 
of God's kingdom in ourselves, seeking others' good even 
at the expense of our own, waiting patiently one for 
another, as thou hast waited for us. 

We beseech thee that thou wilt grant tliat thy king- 
dom may come in thine own church. Again enter the 
temple. Again drive out the money-changers, and those 
that sell oxen and doves therein. Make thy house every- 
where a house of God. May justice, may truth, may 
love prevail ; and may the power of the gospel that is 
preached in thy churches in all this land awaken us to a 
a sense of our guilt because of our delinquency ; because 
we have left thee without a witness ; because so largely 
thy people sympathize with the oppression of the poor. 

Thou art afflicting this nation, and thousands and 
thousands are shaken out of their places. O God, is not 
the time of suffl3ring enough ? Has there not been blood 
enough ? Thou that didst shed thine own ; thou that 



276 beecher's pulpit devotions. 

didst wrestle and pray for release, and that yet didst take 
the cup which might not pass, we pray that our cup may 
pass. Yet, thy will, and not ours, be done. We are 
cast down ; we are smitten to the ground ; we cannot look 
upon those that are blood of our blood and bone of our 
bone, and know their wretchedness and misery. We 
cannot think of children suffering ; we cannot think of 
the innocent being driven to the mountains, and thi'ough 
the secluded and wintry way ; we cannot think of the 
groans, we cannot think of the tears, we cannot think of 
the heart-breaking anguish that has desolated so many, 
and not believe that the day of thy wrath is upon us. 

Thou art making inquisition for thy poor. Thou hast 
come to judge this nation because it has been a slave- 
holding nation, and thou art punishing it. Yet is there 
not mercy with thee ? Shall there be utter wrath ? 
And shall the cup be mingled with ihe wine of thine 
indignation ? And shall we drink it to the very dregs, 
and swoon, and pass away ? O God, have mercy. Turn, 
we beseech thee, the hearts of those in rebellion from 
their wickedness. Break down the power of those mis- 
guided men that lead rebellion with an armed host. 
Give wisdom, and skill, and victory to those that are 
maintaining government, and justice, and now, tardily, 
liberty. And that this terrible scourge may not go on, 
wilt thou give those poor and ignorant men, that seek, 
by their counsels and compromisings, yet again to wind 
about us the death-bond of slavery, to know that our 
sufferings are from this iniquity, and that our hope is in 
repentance of our injustice, and in God's mercy to us. 

Look in compassion upon all that mourn. How great 
is the company! In almost every household are those 
who have lost near and dear ones. God, have mercy 



MOURKIKG BECAUSE OF WAS. 211 

upon them. And, we beseech thee, that in all their 
hours of darkness, in that pilgrimage of sorrow through 
which they must walk, they may at least have the light 
of thy countenance, and thy consoling presence. For, 
Lord God, out from thy justice and thy government we 
behold shining with sweet effulgence the name written 
on thy breast, in letters that shall never die. The Com- 
forter. O Comforter, behold how many need thee. 
Behold thy desolate ones. Behold the little children. 
Behold the enslaved and the beaten down. Behold 
widows in their anguish, and the fatherless. Behold how 
many are wounded and sick, that suffer night and day, 
and know no relief. Behold the perplexed counsels and 
the distress of heart of many that are well-nigh turned 
to stone. 

O God, have compassion upon this nation. Pity it, 
and forgive it, and restore to it the light of thy counte- 
nance and the joy of thy salvation. Yet, in the midst of 
all our trouble, and in the sense which we have of our 
national suffering, thou still dost give us grace to say, 
'' Let not thy hand be lifted till our sins be purged away." 
Make us a pure nation. Make this a nation that shall 
fear God and love man. And may the sacredness of 
manhood rise among this people as it never has risen in 
any nation on the earth, to show something of the final 
fruits of the gospel of Jesus Christ. 

We beseech thee, O God, that thou wilt look upon 
the members of this conp:reo:ation in their several neces- 
sities. Are there any of them that sit in darkness? 
May their night be one with stars. May it be morning, 
with the Sun of Righteousness therein. Grant, we pray 
thee, that they mtiy know their way to thee. And may 
everv one that mourns know that there is an ear that is 



278 beecher's pulpit devotions. 

never closed, and that there is a heart that is never less 
than full of love for them. And though, groping in the 
darkness, they find no way, though all seems to them 
cold and heartless, may God's Spirit show them how to 
become sons of God, that they may be sure that there is 
a Father near to them. And w^e pray thee that all tliat 
are burdened may know that secret w^ay Avhereby 
burdens are removed from the shoulders, that all that are 
troubled may be led into the path of peace. May all that 
need God find thee and be found of thee. 

O strengthen every one against temptation. Open 
tlie way of escape to all that are in peril. Give light in 
their secular aflFairs to all that need the s-uidance of tliv 
providence. Raise up friends for those that are friend- 
less. Draw near with comfort to all those that are in 
suffering or in sickness. Bless all that would fain be in 
this congregation to-day, bnt that only by wistful thoughts 
can be. Wilt thou be pleased to be with the parents 
that assemble here from time to time. Bring nearer to 
them the immortality of their children. And by the 
love that they bear those children in this world may they 
be able to guide them, as by the light of thy face, to that 
sphere where love shall be immortal, and where troubles 
shall be no more for ever. 

And O extend thine influence to those who teach the 
young in our midst. Give them wisdom ; and may they 
be enabled to exert more power upon the heart and con- 
science of such as are under their charge. And grant 
that our children may grow np from the beginning of 
life, loving and trusting the God of their salvation. Are 
there any among ns who are imperiled in their youth ? 
O thou, that art a covenant-keeping God, the faithful 
one, remember their parents, and the vows of their 



MOFRNIXG BECAUSE OF WAR. 279 

parents, and tliQ prayers offered at their dedication, and 
the frequent supplications offered in their behalf. For 
these parents' sake, as well as for thine own sake, succor 
their imperiled ones. And if there are any that have 
come hither from Christian families in distant places, 
who have felt in our midst that they were strangers in a 
strange land, may they feel to-day that God has called 
them here for a blessing ; may they put their trust in 
their fathers' God; may they resist the devil that he may 
flee from them ; and may they be girded with strength 
to do the right to the uttermost, and to shun that which 
is wrong. 

Revive thy work in our hearts ; make us more diligent 
and faithful in every place in life; and guide us through 
the experiences of this world. And when our course is 
finished here, take us to our own home, where our apart- 
ments wait for us, where our names are written, where 
we are longed for. And to thy name shall be the praise. 
Father, Son and Spirit, evermore. Amen. 



CLOSlXa PEATER. 

Our Father, wilt thou bless the word spoken. May it be a word like 
seed that shall come up more than it has sown, and may we search and 
ponder whether these things be so. "We commend to thee our own selves, 
our households, our children, dear to us, but not so dear to us as to thee. 
We commend to thee the State in which we dwell, its cities, towns, insti- 
tutions, and men. We commend to the nation that spreads abroad beyond 
al! the outreachings of our thought, aU its institutions and its gradually 
unfolding histories. Wo commend them all to thee, and grant that we may 
prove ourselves encouraged in simple fidelity to duty, in unfeigned manli- 
ness and Christian love, worthy of the time in which we live and the 
nation which has given us birth. Lead on this people through trials, 
yea, even through faults and sins, and through disasters that -come in con- 
sequence ; through all experiences lead them forward to that bright con- 
summation when they shaU be as the sword of the Lord brought forth 
from the forge and furnace, beaten upon the anvil, ground upon the stone, 
and made sharp and bright, flashing vengeance against iniquity, and 
advancing for justice the world around, and to thy name shall be the 
pjnise, Father, Son and Spirit, evermore. Amen. 



EASTER SUNDAY 



Sunday Morning^ March 2t, 1864. 

Thou eternal Father, upon this name we hang all onr 
hopes ; and we rejoice that yet thon shalt make the world 
understand what is the greatness, and the glory, and the 
grandeur of fidelity, and how within it is ensphered not 
only all the royalty of love, but the majesty of justice 
Thou wilt yet make us to understand what is the true 
and full worship of love. We rejoice that thou art lifting 
the w^orld step by step, by thine own power ; and though 
the space which must needs be passed requires ages, we 
believe that thou art carrying forward the work, and 
that the earth is growing toward the heavenly state — 
toward it, though it is yet far off. We believe that thou 
art making this more and more manifest, and that thou 
art employing the instrumentalities of men's devices — 
that thou art employing all organizations of every kind. 
But by them thou art bringing men back to the original 
revelation of God in nature ; and thou art, by the lives 
of thy holy servants of old, and by the truths that were 
inspired through their living, and revealed to us through 
their experience, teaching us what is the hidden mean- 
ing of the creation itself. Thy work in the structure of 
the human soul, and thy government that is established 
beyond and out of sight, are wrought out here. Here 



232 beecher's pulpit devotions. 

tliou art bringing forth the stones for tlie building; here 
is the sound of tlie hammer and the chisel; here is all 
confusion, and here are all waste and noisome things ; 
but here is but the ground where thou art shaping. 
Yonder is where thou art building ; and there they that 
stand around thee behold the perfectness of all thy work 
which thou hast had in hand since the beginning of the 
world. 

We rejoice, O God, that we may have faith when we 
cannot have sight; and that we may have sure confi- 
dence in thee and in thy kingdom, and believe, even 
against sight, that it is growing, and taking possession of 
the earth, and that it will yet so cleanse it and redeem it 
that the heavens shall descend, and Christ shall reign 
again, and the heavens and the earth shall be as one. 
Bat thouo-h that far-off time lures our thouo-ht, and 
charms our vanity, it is for us to labor in this sin-smitten 
earth, that groans and travails in pain until this day. 
On every side we hear the groaning ; but liow little in the 
world is heard, lifted up in the midst of storm and tumult, 
the holy joys, the rejoi clings of thine elect, that in every 
part of the earth do, day by day, sing forth thy praises ! 
And yet, in the growing storm, the voice of thy witnesses 
still gains in power. And ye?cr by year, more there are 
that join it, and more and more there are voices attuned 
to the divine melody ; and yet, one day shall come when 
the voice of thy ransomed people shall outbrave the 
storms of depravity and all the harsh, discordant sounds 
that are now filling the earth, and there shall break 
forth yet triumphant the music of the sweet gospel of 
Christ, and all the earth shall be filled with it. This 
vforld, that hath swung a choir of sadness and of sorrow, 
groaning and weeping, shall swing around about the 



EASTER SUNDAY. 283 

tkrone of God, fall of blessed sounds of gladness, and 
with, music fitting the high estate and majesty of thy 
kingdom. 

O Lord, our God, thou, thyself invisible, art doing 
this invisible work. Thou that dost work art showing 
the fruit of thy skill and power, and yet hiding the 
instruments of thy work. And we beseech of thee that 
thou wilt grant to every one of us more and more joy 
of faith in the promised participation of the invisible 
kingdom and life. Grant that we may follow our Mas- 
ter, nothing doubting. And let us not be dissuaded by 
reason of the greatness of the way, nor by reason of our 
weakness. xA.nd if we stumble, let that not be a reason 
why we should still lie where we fall. May we lift our- 
selves up again and again. Establish our goings. If 
we waver to the riglit or to the left, O thou blessed 
Saviour, grant that we may be recalled to the straight 
and the narrow pa,th again. And grant that none, because 
of the wickedness that is in them, becanse of the deprav- 
ity which they feel, becanse of their shortcomings, may 
cast away the congdence of hope which hath in it great 
reward. 

O God, may we by faith, by penitence, by a holy and 
renev/ed daily consecration, by pleading of thy promises, 
and by the svv^eet tests and experiences of thy pardoning 
love, more and more earnestly evevj day, seek for the 
welfare of our souls, and for the establishment of thy 
kingdom. May we love thy people. May we be joined 
to them. May we cast our lot with theirs. May v/e go 
with them to bear shame and abuse. May we know 
nothing so dear to us as the triumph of the cause of God 
among men. And where justice, and humanity, and 
truth, and purity, and righteousness are, there may 



284 beecher's pulpit devotions. 

we seek evermore to be, not daunted by the scowl of 
power, not seduced by the attractions and flatteries of 
men, not won nor bribed by any of tlie promises of 
riches — promises broken and never fulfilled. Grant that 
we may take sides with thee, even in times of weakness, 
in times of discouragement, in times of shame. May we 
rejoice to sufi*er with Christ. May we esteem it more 
than all the treasures of Egypt. And, Lord Jesus, make 
us worthy to suffer for thee, and make us worthy to have 
our names cast out for righteousness' sake. 

And grant, O God, that there may be more and more 
heroic natures growing up from among our youth ; more 
and more that shall feel that the body is but the instru- 
ment, and not the end, of life, and that the world is but 
the vehicle and the way towards, the accomplishment of 
the true purposes of life; more and more that shall 
know how to live saintly lives — lives of true heroism. 
And, we beseech thee, that thou wilt inspire this nation 
and the age in which we live. Lift up all nations higher 
and higher. Cause the knowledge of thy word to go 
from land to land, and the power of thy truth to be 
experienced in heart and in conscience. And may all 
the kingdoms of this world become the kingdoms of our 
Lord and Saviour, Christ. 

'We thank thee that thou dost grant unto thy people 
days of benediction, and in the sacred suggestions and 
memorials of this day, that celebrates, in the usage of so 
many thousands of thy people, the glorious shining forth 
of life again from death ; grant that we, too, may have, 
amid all its associations, the blessings of contemplation. 
And grant that the word of truth on this day may do us 
good. May we have resurrection. May our hope flame 
again our love and our zeal. Grant that we may to-day 



EASTEPw SUNDAY. - 285 

feel tliat we Iiave left in tlie grave its garments, its mor- 
talitj, ito sins. May we stand on the tliither side with 
blessed spiritual resurrection of purpose and hope and 
love, and begin to-day witli renewed seals and covenants 
the higher and beatific life. 

Are there any that mourn the hidings of thy face ? 
O, thou that rose out of the very sepulcher, bringing 
light to the world, canst tliou not, out of the heavenly 
glory, bring light and life ? Draw near to any that are 
ready to perish, whose thoughts chide thj delay. O 
tlion Father, find thy children to-day, and speak peace- 
able words to them. Comfort any that mourn over sin, 
and may their mourning do them good. Speak forgive- 
ness to any that scarcely dare to look into thy face, and 
may they glance there to behold it, not as the darkness 
of life, but as the glowing morning, full of hope and 
promise. And grant, we beseech thee, that thy grace 
may lead all hearts, both in ontward trouble and in 
inward afflictions. Under all exercises and experiences 
may thy grace lead all men to praise thy name, to cele- 
brate thy goodness to others ; that man may be bronght 
under the testimony of thy people, into a more blessed 
attitude of life. 

Grant, we pray thee, our Father, as one and another 
are passing away, that life may not be less rich. We 
thank thee that the dying who die nobly enrich life more 
than they impoverish it. Then, when they are dead, 
there spring np a thousand powers ; and being dead, 
they yet speak. We cannot mourn them that depart 
who do not go out in darkness, but rather rise into light 
unapproachable. We thank thee for the witness, for the 
example, and for the faithful labors of so many as are 
gone and are going. And we beseech of thee that there 



286 

may be found tliose vA\o shall be worthy to follow them, 
and to take up the work which they have finished in their 
labor, and prosecute it to higher and yet more glorious 
heights. And we beseech thee that thy kingdom, in 
which dwelleth righteousness^ may at last override all 
war, all suffering, all ignorance, all superstition, and 
that the glory of the Lord may fill the earth as the 
w^aters fill the sea. And the praise shall be given to the 
Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen. 



MISSIOI^ART OCCASION". 

Sunday Evening, 1864. 



BEFORE SERMON. 



Thou liast taught ns, our Father, to pray, " Let thy 
kingdom come, and thy will be done upon earth as it is in 
heaven ;" and we have gazed as we prayed, and learned 
to Ions:, with p-rowinof desire, for the fulfillment of this 
inspired prayer. And generations have prayed and slept, 
and others have taken their places, still desiring and 
petitioning. And yet, O God, behold, the earth is dark 
and full of habitations of cruelty. Behold how the race 
are scattered, and how few^ know even the t\vilight, and 
fewer the light of the glory of God as it shines in the 
face of Christ Jesus. And yet they are our brethren. 
The most ignorant and the most besotted ; the poor 
heathen that worship idols, which their own hands have 
made ; and those that follow, gazing and wondering, the 
stars, to worship them ; and those that mingle their devo- 
tion with utter cruelty ; and those that offer their pas- 
sions as so many services to thee; and all that are in 
gross darkness, are they not still of our human kind ? 
And are they not children of God? And are they not 
the subjects of thy promises, and of thy providences ? O 
Lord God, how dost thou, with infinite compassion and 
love, such as no man can have, bear to look forth upon 



288 beecher's pulpit devotions. 

those ever-growing generations that make no progress? 
Thousands of years have come and gone, and they are 
the same. O Lord, we understand not the mystery of 
' human life. It is dark and trying to our faith. But we 
believe — -help our unbelief; we know that thy kingdom 
is as heaven, and it increases silently and secretly, and is 
advanced beyond what we suspect. We know that the 
power of Christ's gospel shall be felt everywhere, and 
that there is a silent leavening of the whole world. How 
long shall these preparatory stages be required? And 
when, O Lord, shall w^e begin to see the clouds rise, and 
the darkness sweep away, and the sun set in the latter 
day. We desire with faith and with patience to prepare 
ourselves for the coming of the Lord. We desire still 
steadfastly to teach and to spread the power of the truth 
as it is in Jesus. And to thee we commit the mystery 
of human life. 

Grant that every one of us, in our own place, may let 
our light shine, and may remember that we are the salt 
of the earth, by which, if at all. it is to be kept in holi- 
ness. May it be a matter of conscience and of daily duty 
how we can cast the most saving truth into the ever- 
fermenting public mind, and how most we can so bestov/ 
our lives that they shall be as was Christ's, given up for 
the people. 

We pray that thou wilt look upon our own land. We 
have utter trust in thee. If we were to go by sight, we 
should fail. There is no measurement that we can take 
that would give us consolation. Our trust is in thee. 
Nor are we turned back from confidence in thee because 
thy way is mysterious. It has ever been so. The mys- 
tery of God is only our ignorance. And as events go 
forth, w^e behold how wise are the things that are the most 



MISSIONAKY OCCASION. 289 

threatening, and how strangely our fears were deceived. 
Grant, we prfiy thee, that we may have more and more 
unfaltering trust in God. May we cling to thee. May 
we purify our hearts for closer communion with thee. 
May we put aside every weight, and let every sin go 
that easily besets us, and evermore cling to the simplicity 
of the truth as it is in Jesus, and become more just, more 
true, more kind, and more earnest in labor, praying in 
season and out of season for the fulfillment of the promises 
of the gospel. 

Grant, we beseech thee, God, that war may cease 
when its purposes are accomplished. We would not be 
impatient ; we see the fiery bolts ; we hear the sound of 
thunders ; we know that men are cast down, wounded, 
and destroyed ; we turn our face from the spectacle ; but, 
O Lord, we believe that all things are guided by thee, 
and that thou ministerest them in final mercy. Thou 
art punishing ns. Thou art persuading the people, by 
by the strokes and chastisement of thine hand, to give 
up their wickedness. Thou art awakening them to more 
sensibility of conscience. Art thou not preparing this 
people to wear the robe of righteousness? Art thou not 
raising the conscience of this nation higher than ever it 
was before, that thereupon thou mayest build a truer 
spirituality? Even so. Lord, go forth. We follow, and 
implicitly trust. We will not fear, though the waves 
roar, though the sea is darkened by storms, though the 
air is clouded. Clouds and darkness are around about 
thy throne, but justice and judgment are the habitations 
thereof 

Grant, we pray thee, thy blessing to rest upon us to- 
night, in all the exercises of the sanctuary, in singing 
thy praise, and in speaking for edification. Make U3 

13 



290 BEECHER S rULPIT DEVOTIONS/ 

grateful for the privileges of the Sabbath. It has been 
rest to many and many a wearied one. Give forth to all 
the portion yet needed. Fortify every one by spiritual 
truth for the temptation and danger of the coming week. 
And grant that we may be educated thus from week to 
week, until at last our labor is done, our journey is over, 
our sufferings are finished, and our probation is ended ; 
and then may we stand in Zion, and before Grod. And 
we will give the praise of our salvation to the Father, 
the Bon, and the Spirit. Amen, 



DEATH OF LINCOLN.* 



BEFORE ADDRESS BY BEY. DR. STORES. 

Almighty God, thou art our fathers' God. They 
trusted in thee, and were not put to shame. In times of 
trouble we have ]n'oved thee, and found thy promises 
yea and amen. None that put their trust in thee in a 
just cause shall fail. For, though ''clouds and darkness 
are round about thee," justice and judgment are the 
habitation of thy throne. And we rejoice that thou art 
now making the dark clouds to part. We see the bright 
shining of justice between. Yet thou hast reached thine 
hand forth, and plucked from the highest place in this 
nation, and from the highest place in our admiration and 
affection, thy servant, the late President of these United 
States ; and we are as a tree whose branch the storm hath 
wrenched off. We know our loss ; and we believe that 
thy providence hath chastisement and condemnation. 

Yet thou hast, in thy wrath, remembered mercy. 
Thou didst ordain him to be thy servant of justice. Thou 
didst temper his heart to integrity, moderation, and love. 
In a stormy time, between a divided people with strong 
passions, turbulent and deadly, thou didst plant liim. and 
to the end maintain in him temperance, fortitude, self- 
denial, patience, meekness, gentleness, justice, and love. 
And thou didst accomplish thy work by him, and didst 

* At the Academy of Music, Brooklyn. Fast Daj, Juno 1, 1S65. 



292 beechek's pulpit devotions. 

leave his name an honor and a glory to this people, 
shining out brighter and brighter every day hitherward, 
and yet shining out bright as the stars thitherward. 

And now, O Lord, our God, thou liast, in thy provi- 
dence, by the voice of our chief magistrate, convoked us 
to-day, that we might repent before God of our sins, con- 
fessing them ; and that we might improve this day as a 
day of humiliation and prayer. Youchsafe, we beseech 
thee, to this great nation, a profound sense of their 
sinfulness. Give life to the national conscience; give 
lionesty to this people. May they sit in judgment on 
their past, and be sterner in judgment upon themselves 
than can any other people be upon them. 

We confess that we have been a people puffed up by 
prosperity. We have been made arrogant by our strength. 
We have been corrupted by the readiness and abundance 
of our wealth. And those favors that have been meant 
for our nourishing we have prostituted to luxury, and 
made to serve as instruments for our degradation unto 
selfishness, l^ay, we have been willing to employ our 
strength for oppression ; we have heeded not the cry of 
the poor ; — we have contented ourselves with securing 
our own exceeding great prosperity, not only in in- 
difference to those that suffered, but in contempt of 
them. 

We confess the sin of the Christian ministry, and of 
the church. They have not been faithful to the trust 
committed to them. They have not stood as perpetual 
judges and condemnors of wrong in the midst of this 
people. We confess that the gospel hath had its light 
hidden. We confess that there has not been that testi- 
mony which there should have been. Nor do we seek 
to excuse ourselves. We confess that the North, which 



DEAT^I OF LIXCOLX. 293 

loved liberty, hath hidden its love of liberty, loving better 
other things. We, too, have taken gain of oppression, 
and we, too, have sought quiet at the sacrifice of prin- 
ciple ; and we confess that in these thunderous strokes 
and dark days of storm we are receiving punishment. 
For we have been guilty concerning our brother. The 
blood that cries from the ground cries in part against us ; 
and blood hath atoned for blood. 

JS'ow, O Lord, our God, we beseech thee that thou 
wilt grant that this whole people may confess their sins. 
May we acknowledge that we have been false to the 
principles of our government ; false to the truths of our 
faith ; false to our manhood, to our Christianity, to 
God and to man ; and may we understand that thou hast 
been angry wdth us, though now thy face is clearing 
aw^ay, and thou art tempering judgment with mercy. 
We desire to be penetrated with a sense of our deserving, 
and desire to confess that our judgments have been fewer 
than our sins. And we beseech thee that we may be 
more anxious to confess our own sins than to charge their 
sins upon those that have sinned grievously. And we 
beseech thee that the time past may be sufficient. May 
this people, out of the judgments through which they 
have gone, see this truth of God, sublime as the throne 
of eternity, that God loves justice. And may we not 
seek any further to deceive. Thou art not mocked; 
and whatever a nation sows, that shall it reap. May v/e 
not seek to sow inequalities, and injustice, and dominanca 
of strength over w^eakness.. May we sow righteousness, 
and justice, and liberty, and truth throughout the whole 
of tliis land, and may they spring up and bring forth 
fruit an hundredfold. 

Be pleased to bless the Pi'esident of these United 



294 

States, and all that in authority are associated with him. 
Grant that his mind may be illumined from on high. 
May he see what things are just and right; and what 
things are merciful. And wilt thou give him such 
counsel that he shall ordain judgment and merc}^ ; both 
of them in the fear of God, both of them in accordance 
w^ith thy Spirit. 

And we beseech of thee that thou wilt grant tliy 
blessing to rest on the army and navy of these United 
States. We thank thee for the fidelity of our men. We 
thank thee that so many live, though so many liave 
afiiicted our hearts in death. Be pleased to bless those 
that are wounded and maimed, those that are sick, those 
that are among str^gei:*. Grant, we beseech thee, that 
all their afflictions may be blessed to them spiritually ard 
temporally. 

Eemember, we beseech thee, all those that lately 
have been enslaved, but that now are free. We thank 
thee for their good conduct. Thou hast had thoughts of 
mercy toward tliem. Wilt thou still, in thy providence, 
ordain industry, and honesty, and frugality among them. 
And grant that they may prove their worthiness to be 
citizens, and be established immutably on the ground of 
citizenship. 

Be pleased, we beseech thee, to bless our enemies. 
May those that of late have been in arms against us 
come up in remembrance before thee. How great are their 
sufferings ! How great have been the desolations of war 
in their midst ! Lord, may their mischiefs be repaired. 
Grant that their prosperity may be rebuilded once more. 
And may brethren begin to call each other by names of 
love, and not by inimical names. And grant that the 
hands already beginning to reach across the wastes of 



DEATH OF LINCOLN. 295 

war may be clasped not only in compact of friendship, 
but in the fealty of justice and liberty. And grant that 
the whole citizenship of this great nation, now reunited, 
may never be severed again. May this great i'>eople be 
one ; with no mischief in their bosom ; with no cause of 
fermentation ; with no taint or tendency to decay. May 
all love each other, because all love God supremely. Maj 
the weak be strengthened by the strong, and the ignor- 
ant be illumined by the wise. 

And may all mankind come up in remembrance before 
thee. And to-day may^ we feel the l)ond ihat connects 
us with our fellows in all the earth. And may this 
nation, strengthened, repaired, made great, l>e great, not 
for rapine and selfishness, but for justice ; and may the 
influence which it exerts among the nations of the earth 
be for liberty, and truth, and purity. And may all men 
learn to love this people, because God is in their midst, 
and they are clothed with the beauty of holiness. 

And now, grant thy blessing to rest upon thy servant, 
who has been called by his fellow-citizens to speak in 
their behalf this day. Clothe him with power. Make 
his words mighty. Grant that a blessing may go forth 
w^th them, and that they may shake down, as dew from 
perfumed shrubs, joy and profit upon us. 

And grant tliat through life we may Jiave thee for our 
God ; and, dying, we may find thee near. And, when 
no longer we can see thee, may we reach out our hands 
and find thee leading us through death to immortality 
and glory. For Christ Jesus' sake. Amen. 



CLOSIxa FRATER. 

Our heavenly Father, wilt thou grant a blessing to rest upon the word 
spoken Grant that we may not turn away from tliy truth, nor seek to 
cast it from us, as the rain is cast from the roof, that it may sink into the 
soil and disappear, and be fruitless. May it be ours to take tlio seed into 
good ground, and to have it spring up and bring forth fruit a hundred- 
fold. Bless us in the remaining hours of this service. Give us rest. 
Prepare us for that rest which remains for the people of God. And, by 
thme own boundless love and infinite grace, bring us thither, and then 
receive our praises, Father, Son, and Spirit. Amen. 



RESTORATION OF PEACE. 

Sunday Morning^ October 22, 1865. 



BEFORE SERMOJ!T. 

Since thou hast been pleased, almighty God, to pro- 
claim thyself our Father, and to call ns thy children, we 
would lay aside fear ; we would lay aside those mysteri- 
ous dreads of guilt which lie in our path as mists to chill 
and to hinder, and would come to thee in full hope. 
And we come not so much to make mention of our ill- 
deserts as of thy goodness. If we should speak our own 
sense of guilt, and if we should hold argument of our 
wickedness and unworthiness, how sad would be the 
ofiering that we brought ! But dost thou not know ? 
Art thou not the Physician of the soul ? Are we sick of 
heart, not before thee who knoweth us more perfectly 
than we know ourselves ? And why should we again and 
again recite in thy presence our manifold transgressions ? 
We will rather make" mention of thy name. Thou art 
glorious above all that are on earth and in heaven. 
There art thou whom we love and praise. Thou dost 
not stand as an idol to be loved, or to receive praise ; 
but thy wonderful action, the outflow of thine end- 
less thought, the currents of love and sympathy which 
go forth from thine heart, the stretching out of thine 
hand in execution, the endless works of beneficence 
which thou dost perform, thine industry, far surpassing 

13* 



298 beegher's pulpit devotions. 

the reacli of human thought or computation, thy trans- 
cendant grace and majesty — these inspire the hearts of 
those that are around about thee with noble sympathy 
and generous enthusiasm. And they are workers to- 
gether with thee. They labor and rejoice, and love, and 
praise, not from a sense of duty, but because their over- 
flowing hearts must find some way of expression. And 
thou dost lead forth thy laborious bands in eternal 
activities, which bring neither weariness nor want of 
remission. For when thou shalt have cleansed us from 
the body, and brought us into our pure and spiritual 
estate, then there shall be no night and no sleep ; no 
hunger and no need of food ; no toil and no drudgery. 
Unwearied we shall go forth in all the rounds of duty 
and tasks of joy ; for ever singing, for ever rejoicing, the 
partners of those that sing and rejoice for ever. 

To this high estate, and to tliis blessedness, we aspire. 
And though, as they that travel in the wilderness, catch 
and lose again perpetually the objects by which they 
guide themselves, we at times see before us that toward 
which we are pressing forward, and at times lose sight 
of; yet, by faith we walk, and not by sight. We believe 
that thou art conducting on earth a government. We 
believe that thou art calling thine own elect, that they 
do hear thy voice, and that they do follow after thee. 
And w^hen they cannot behold thee, when even faith 
itself is dim, we believe that thou knowest how to draw 
them. As thy disciples could not disband, nor go asun- 
der after thy death, though, notwithstanding they thought 
thee gone for ever, they still by memory, by love, by a 
thousand tender associations, were clasped one to another 
and to thy sepulcher ; so, O Lord Jesus, when thou art 
dead to us, when we are drifted so far from thy heart 



RESTORATIOX OF PEACE. 209 

tliat we cannot behold it, when we have lost the savor 
of thy love, when we have ceased to be quickened by 
the Holy Spirit, when we have cast away our crown, and 
the fine gold thereof has become dim, still thou knowest 
how to hold us. And though there be but a thread left, 
by that thread how many souls have been held back from 
their wanderings ! 

Now, Lord, we beseech thee, look with grace and 
benignity upon this congregation. How many are there 
here w^ho have thanks that they should offer to thee. 
May their hearts open, and may they exhale gratitude 
to heaven. There are those that ought to make mention 
of wonderful deliverances which thou hast wrought for 
them, or for others. We beseech that they may not 
withhold the tribute which is thy due. How" many are 
there that this morning are reminded of vows and 
promises which they have made ! And thou hast heard 
their voice of outcry, and hast performed by thy provi- 
dence that which they desired 

Wilt thou hear them that draw near to thank thee for 
those who have been restored from dangerous sickness ? 
And, we beseech thee, hear those that in their very heart 
supplicate thee for the sick. O Lord, thou dost know 
what the mourner's moaning is ; and though thou dost 
tarry, the sisters shall not plead in vain. Nor are they 
dead that seem dead. Thou canst by thy voice and 
providence call them forth and set them free. We be- 
seech of thee, that thou wilt do exceeding abundantly 
more than any ask or think. 

We beseech thee that thou wilt bless all that are in 
our midst w^ho desire to know more of thee ; and while 
they seek thee in prayer and meditation, may they go 
where thou hast so often been on earth — among the poor 



300 beechek's pulpit deyotio:s"S. 

and needy. There reveal thyself to those who seek thee 
in works of mercy and charity. Open the hearts of those 
that are enlightened and educated, toward those that are 
groveling in ignorance. And take away from us the 
remains of the old man ; of hardness and pride; of that 
spirit of hatred which divides man from man. And since 
life is short — even but a hand's breadth — and we are 
hastening through it, all of us living together, breathing 
the same air, lighted by the same sun, spared by the 
same mercy, redeemed by the same Saviour, and loved 
by the same God, grant that we may look upon one 
another as brethren. Though divided in estate, though 
different in lot, though separated in endless ways 
one from another, still may we find in Christ, and 
in the hope of immortality, a boAd of union and sym- 
pathy, that shall bind us in one brotherhood, the world 
over. 

We pray that thou wilt bless our land. Thou hast 
blessed it. How shall we ever return the thanks due to 
thee? When the foundations were removed, and the 
heaven and the earth conspired to destroy us, thou in 
the midst of the waves wert King sitting on the flood. 
And now thou hast commanded it to peace, and the 
winds have gone down, and the black and roaring tides 
are known no more. Forbid that we should forget the 
mighty debt that we owe. We humble ourselves before 
thee. We wonder at and adore thy goodness. 

And since thou hast caused peace to come again in all 
our land ; since our arms are laid aside, and our great 
armies are disbanded. Lord God remember, we pray thee, 
all that suffer. Those that are sick, and those that are 
wounded — may they not be forgotten. May they in 
peace find that the memory and the gratitude of those 



EESTORATION OF PEACE. 301 

about them are greater than they have been wont to 
believe. 

We pray that thou wilt bless those that institute and 
lead on enterprises of instruction and succor. Remem- 
ber those that w^ere late in slavery, but now have 
come forth with multiplied labor-pains into the new birth 
of liberty. And grant, whatever they may suffer, that 
by suffering patiently borne, under the guidance of thy 
providence, they may attain to their perfect and full 
citizenship. 

And grant, we pray thee, a blessing to rest upon those 
who lately were our enemies, but who now are our 
brethren again. More and more teach us to love them 
as brethren, and to forget their wrongs and infelicities. 
May we learn to put ourselves in their places, and ask 
ourselves whether, if we had been tempted as they were, 
we would have done better than they have done. And 
may we be more ready to forgive than to demand strict 
justice. And grant, we pray thee, O Lord, that there 
may be a firmer concord, a growing respect, and the in- 
terchange of offices of reciprocal love and confidence. 
And grant that this great nation maybe banded together 
again. Now, its sins cleansed away, its iniquities taken 
from it, may we begin that glorious progress which shall 
culminate in a conscience purified by a true Christianity. 
And may we not be strong for rapine, or for avarice, or 
for ambition, or for godless rule over the weak. May it 
be ours to raise men, to preach the gospel to them, and 
to send abroad to the ends of the earth that civilization 
which Christ inspires. . 

Wilt thou, O God, remember our rulers. Be with the 
President of these United States, whom thou hast called 
in a troublous time to 2:reat and onerous duties. Thou 



302 

liast led him, and art leading him, as thou didst him that 
went before. And we beseech of thee that thou wilt still 
be his God; and may he be guided by that wisdom 
which descends from above; and may he seek those 
things which make for peace and concord. Strengthen 
his hands and heart. And grant that those who counsel 
him may be pure men. May the legislatures of the 
States that assemble, and the J^ational Legislature be 
imbued with the Spirit of God. May thy spirit dwell 
in the midst of this people. Thou hast done great things 
for it. Thou hast opened a way for us when we knew 
not what course to pursue. When all was dark, and it 
seemed as though midnight had settled for ever upon us, 
thou didst send us light. And thou that hast done such 
wondrous works in times past, shalt not sleep nor forget. 
Thou wilt yet be our leader in our troubles. And we 
will overcome them all by faith and holy trust in God, 
who shall carry us through to the end of our lives, and 
then receive us home to glory. We ask it for Christ's 
sake Amen. 



BAPTISMAL SERVICE. 

SalbatJi JTorning^ May 14, 1865. 



BEFORE SEPwMON. 

IwTO the bosom of thy love, O thou eternal FatLer, 
from whom we have learned to love, from whom we have 
borrowed parentage itself, we bring back our children, 
and are glad to hear thee say, " Suffer them to come 
unto me, and forbid them not." For these are the least 
things that there are, and the most helpless. And glo- 
riously do we understand the nature of all loving in thee, 
when thou, the highest, and the mightiest, dost conde- 
scend to think of and to embrace in thy providence and 
thy grace, these our offspring. We rejoice that they are 
not left alone to our ministration, nor to those laws 
which, in their nascent life, struggle feebly for them. 
There is above all thought the Father of thought ; and 
there is above all law the Father of law ; and to thy 
sovereign care we commit our children, rejoicing that 
now with thy promises, thy sympathy, and thy help, we 
are stronger, and wiser, and more hopeful. We are able 
courageously to look upon the world in which they must 
live, with all its temptations, with all its needful strug- 
gles, and the great cloud of its sorrows, and the storms 
that beat upon so many ; and we commend to thee our 
children as they come, step by step, into the experiences 



/. 



304 

which we have had, and they must have, with a confi- 
dence firm as thy word. Thou wilt take care of them, 
for thou hast the argument of care in thine own soul — 
thou dost love them. 

And be pleased, Almighty God, to bless the parents 
that have brought hither their children to-day. Let it 
not be an unmeaning ceremony in which they have en- 
gaged. May they understand that they have covenanted 
with God and with their brethren here, as have these 
brethren with them, to rear these children in the knowl-. 
edge and in the spirit of Christ. Grant that they may 
be able to set apart and understand the true life of Christ 
in distinction from that of the world ; and may they be 
able not only to inspire these children with knowledge, 
but from the very morning of their life, to train them so 
that their first dispositions shall be Christian dispositions, 
and their earlier aspirations shall be toward Christ, and 
things of truth and purity ; and teach them, when older, 
to come back with their conscience and faith and over- 
come the realm of wickedness in them, as well as to set 
themselves victoriously against that which is evil in the 
world. 

And grant, we beseech thee, that this solemn scene 
may not die from the memory of these parents, and when 
these children grow up, may they accept this consecra- 
tion, and ratify it ; and may they themselves go forward 
in that Christian life for which these parents stand spon- 
sors. Grant a blessing to rest upon all the parents that 
are here, whose hearts are drawn out toward these sweet 
little ones. Remember those who have their dear ones 
with them still ; and also those who search in sad memo- 
ries for dear ones that are no longer with them, because 
God has taken them. Give them consolation for their 



BAPTISMAL SERVICE. aQS, 

departed. Give them more hope and comfort. And if 
there are any whose hearts are as an open grave to-dav, 
be pleased, O God, that didst show angels to those that 
saw angels in the grave, to show angels to them. May 
they not mourn as those that have no hope, but may 
they be strengthened and comforted in their sorrow, and 
made wiser and purer and holier thereby. 

And may all of us that hold our treasures of heart by 
so frail a tenure, which may give way in a day or an 
hour, and bankrupt us in home and in heart, so accustom 
ourselves, day by day, to view things as they are, that 
we shall be beyond the reach of surprise, though death 
should come at any time; though liusband, or wife, or 
child, or friend, or brother, or sister, or all of them, should 
be taken from us. Grant that we may Imov/ that heaven 
is above us, that God waits there for us, that the earth is 
the Lord's and the fulhiess thereof; and that neither 
time nor chance can befall any, except by thy permission. 
Grant that in the midst of trouble we mav be steadfast 
and immovable, trusting in God, as other tilings fade 
and fail and pass away, with an immutable trust. And 
so may our hearts be fixed, no more fluctuating, no more 
changing, as the fickle cloud. 

Grant, we beseech thee, thy blessing to rest upon all 
who are gathered together for worship. Accept the 
vows of those that have come to enter into covenant 
with God. Accept the thanksgiving of hearts that this 
morning are laden with gratitude. O Lord, how much 
have we to be thankful for ! Plow many of us have great 
joys unutterable ! Thou hast caused the storm to pass 
away. Its bolts are sped, and they that must fall, have 
fallen. And how many of us receive back again our 
children that have been set apart unto death. They 



306 beecher's pulpit devotions. 

were sealed and stamped with covenant consecration, 
but tliou hast been pleased to find otherwhere a victiro, 
and they are loosed and are coming home again. And 
to how many households is it more than to tlie harp is 
the touch of the harper's hand. And how many hearts 
there are that shall not know how to speak their thanks- 
giving and their gratitude. For the sorrow which 
thon hast caused, we thank thee. And now, since the 
rain is over and gone, and the sun shines again, We thank 
thee for the joys that thou hast sent ns. And our prayer 
is that both joy and sorrow may be sanctified, and that 
this great people maybe made more humble, more pure, 
more just, and more true, by the dealings with them of 
God in providence. 

We beseech thee, O Lord, our God, that thou wilt be 
very near to those that are sick ; to those that are in 
prisons ; to those that are maimed ; to those that seek or 
find their homes only as a quiet place to die in. Lift 
npon them the light of thy countenance, and give to 
them all the joy of thy salvation. 

Thou hast been pleased to afillct this people by taking 
away the head and father thereof.- We thank thee for 
his example. We thank thee for the savor of that name 
which shall be a blessing to our children, and to our 
children's children. We have saved, and put into the 
calendar of influence another power that shall teach men 
manliness and purity. We thank thee for that guidance 
of thy spirit and thy providence which made him to us 
what he hath been, and what he shall be. 

We thank thee, O God, that thou art still farther 
exhibiting thy ways of mercy. How utterly hast thou 

* President Lincoln. 



BAPTIS?JAL SERVICE. 307 

overthrown rebellion ! How utterly hast thon marked 
the guilt and wickedness thereof ! And one and another 
of those that have borne high part in infamous wrong, 
thou hast brought low, and art holding. And, O Lord, 
our God, grant that we may remember that in enume- 
rating thine attributes to us, thou hast declared that 
vengeance is thine, and that thou wilt repay. And 
grant, we beseech of thee, that we may seek justice in a 
frame of mind that shall befit the seeking thereof. And 
let us not stumble on passion, and call that justice ; nor 
upon hate, and call that justice ; nor upon wicked feel- 
ings of any kind, and call them justice. May we listen 
to the voice of God, and with a heart of love and mercy, 
receive the intimations of justice, that then it may be 
executed purely and truly. 

Lord, we beseech thee, that thou wilt be pleased to 
grant thy blessing upon all tbat part of our land which 
has been ravaged or despoiled. We cannot ask that suf- 
fering shall not do its mission ; but we pray that suffer- 
ing may be remedial, and not destructive. Build up the 
waste places ; turn the hearts of those that are dissevered 
to each other again. Inspire industry. Grant that with 
increasing prosperity and allegiance, fidelity may have 
a new birth, and that there may spring up a better Chris- 
tianity and a truer patriotism than was ever knovvn there 
before. And may this land, reunite J, sit at the feet of 
Jesus, speaking thy praise, acknowledging thine author- 
ity, and speeding thine errands in all the earth. 

Bring in Jew and Gentile. Bring in those that are 
lost, and those that are in darkness and have wandered 
out of the way; and make manifest thy right hand and 
thy power, which yet shall govern all the earth. 

Hear us, we beseech thee, in these our petitions. 



808 beechee's pulpit devotio:n-s. 

Answer us, not for our much speaking, but for thine own 
name's sake. And to the Father, the Son, and the Holy- 
Ghost, shall be praises evermore. Amen. 



CLOSING PRAYER. 

Be pleased, Almighty God, to draw us by thine own persuasion, and to 
help our imperfect arguments with ourselves, that we may be able to 
come toward thee — yea to enter into that tabernacle which thou hast 
builded for us — and find rest. Thou hast promised to hide tliy people in thy 
pavilion. Thou art our tower, and from the face of our enemies, we run 
in and are safe. Thou art the shadow of a rock in a wearv land. W^e 
cool ourselves from the untempered sun beneath thy sweet shade. 
Lord Jesus, thou art our garment, and we put thee on. Thou art our life, 
and v/e desire to enter into thee that we may find ourselves. Our Hfe is 
hid with Christ in God. 

And now we pray that thou wilt bless the word of exhortation to each 
one of us. May it quicken our faith. May it encourage us in the divine 
life. Take us by the hand, for we are orphans, and we need a guide, and 
thou art that One whom our soul elects and desires. And at last, after 
the scenes of this turbulent life are over, bring us to that rest which 
remains for the people of God. And to thy name shall be the praise, 
Father, Son, and Spirit. Amen. 



BAPTISM OF THE WHITE SLAVE. 



Swiday jlorning, May 10, 1863. 

INYOCATION". 

Thou eternal God, grant unto ns that life which shall stir the sources 
of life in us. Shine upon us, that we may reflect something of tliy glory. 
Speak to our thoughts and to our feelings that slumber, that they may 
know that this is the Lord's morning; and, as Christ arose, may all Christ- 
like things in us arise with blessed sympathy. May we aspire to the 
full rejoicing of sonship this day, made thine by redemptive love. Grant 
that we may be able to take hold of thy feet, to look adoringly in thy face, 
to speak with thee as children with a parent, and to hear what thou 
sayest to us from out of thy holy word. And if our hearts are kindled, 
give us u'.terance in sacred songs and hymning on earth, that we may join 
the choral services in heaven. And may every part of our worship 
enrich us and honor thee. We ask it for Christ's sake. Amen. 

BEFOKE SERMOX. 

O Lord, our God, tliou that belioldest the earth, and 
all its secrets, we wonder and adore at that long-suffering 
and patience with which thou hast nourished it, cherish- 
ing the good that it might spread abroad its branches 
and fill the earth. "When we behold iniquity in such 
aspects as bring it within our sympathy and raise against 
it all the forces of our spiritual nature, we are full of 
feelings of impatience that seek to destroy with thunder- 
bolts of wrath. We marvel at that wondrous patience 
of the divine love that, abhorring evil with infinite 
grace, more than is possible to us, prolongs the day of 



310 beecher's pulpit deyotioxs. 

grace and overtures of mercy, and by other rejected and 
long refused methods, seeks salvation for ruined men. 
O teach us to hate evil somewhat as thou dost. O teach 
us so to love vrhile hating evil, as to follow in the foot- 
steps of our Saviour, and be patient with evil-doers, 
seeking by all methods to restore them. God of all grace, 
cleanse our hearts from evil thoughts and from evil feel- 
ings ; from all those passions which in other men run 
riot, and which, if the banks and dikes of thy providence 
and grace were cast down would overflow our souls and 
destroy our lives. O be pleased to teach us humility, and 
meekness, and gentleness, and love that waits long, that 
suffers long, and is kind. 

We beseech of thee, O Lord, that thou wilt grant us 
so to rear our offspring that they, from the morning of 
life, shall have the divine art of restraining tempestuous 
feelings and passions, and that they shall grow up into 
the sweetness and majesty of divine love. 

Bless those dear children whose parents have presented 
them before this congregation for holy consecration in 
baptism. Grant that their lives may be precious. Grant 
that they may grow up to cheer and comfort their parents. 
And as they educate them, may they consciously be led 
of God into all truth, and into all Christian feelings. 

We pray that thou wilt grant thy blessing to rest upon 
all those that aforetime have been offered up in baptism 
here. As they, many of them, are growing to years of 
discretion, may they answer to the covenants and wishes 
of their parents. Trained by the influence of thy good 
Spirit, may they become wise, and give evidence before 
men, by a godly walk and conversation, of the truth 
of Christ in them, the hope of glory. 

Be pleased, Almighty God, to remember that dear 



BAPTISM OF THE WHITE SLAVE. 311 

cbild^ that Lath been under such strange circumstances 
brought hither to-day, redeemed from bondage, plucked 
as a brand from the burning, and now solemnly conse- 
crated by its adopted mother as a Christian child, 
restored at last to the human race, and bom again into 
human rights. O be pleased to grant that its life may 
be spared, and that it may be taught how great is that 
goodness of G.jd which has been displayed toward it. 
And may it grow up in maturer years to teach and to 
rescue its own sisters from the degradation and bondage 
of ignorance, from the ways of passion, and from all 
things that are evil. 

Bless thine handmaid whom thou hast privileged to 
take this child from Egypt, and bring it hither to the land 
of promise. Grant that her years may be spared, and 
that she may be prospered in this labor of love ; and as 
she is watering thine own branch, let heavenly dews fall 
on her, that she may reap her reward day by day as she 
goes to the heavenly land. 

And grant that all who have beheld this wondrous 
scene to-day may have, by the Holy Ghost, written in- 
visibly in their souls, a horror and a hatred of oppression 
and wrong which thus grind the people of God and his 
little ones. O Lord Jesus, what art thou doing ? How 
many parents there are who would fain bring their chil- 
dren to thee, but who dare not bring them ! How many 
thousands shed tears of sorrow because they are not per- 
mitted to worsliip thee according to the desire of their 
hearts ! How many prayers go up to thee at night and 
by stealth ! And yet thy decrees seem immutable, and 
no mercy appears for them. Art thou not, O God, 
coming for the salvation of this whole people ? Art thou 

* A little white giil, that had recently been a slave. 



312 BEECHEU'S PULPIT DEVOTIONS. 

not preparing, by tlie stern blows of battle^ to beat down 
the doors of oppression, and to raze the foundations of 
it even to the ground ? Even so, Lord Jesus, come 
quickly. 

And bless, while then dost tarry, thy servants, and 
those that are saints before God in oppression — the aged, 
that have prayed long and fainted not, those who are in 
the midst of a pure life, and the young who aspire to 
goodness according to the twilight of knowledge which 
they receive. While we are preaching the gospel to re- 
mote nations of the earth, O that there might be a heart 
given to us to bear the tidings of salvation and the 
fullness of its meaning to those that are in bondage and 
heathenism in our ovvm land. 

And we pray that thou wilt break all bonds throughout 
the world, and hasten that glorious day of prediction 
when from the rising of the sun to the going down of the 
same there shall be only justice, and truth, and liberty, 
and peace ; when every man shall sit under his own vine 
and under his own fig-tree, and the earth siiall be filled 
with the glory of the Lord, as the waters fill the sea. 
We ask these things in the adorable name of Jesus, to 
whom, with the Father and the Holy Spirit, shall be 
praises everlasting. Amen. 



YOUTHFUL ACCESSIONS. 

Sunday Morning^ March T, 1866. 



nrvocATioK 

Lift upon us the light of thy countenance, Lord our G-od ; and as 
thou art making the sun to shine forth this day to illumine the earth, so, 
Sun of righteousness, bring day and brightness to us. May we leave the 
sordid cares, and the troubles, and the fears of the week, its burdens and 
griefs, behind us ; and, emancipated, may we walk into thy sanctuary 
this morning as the sons of God in their Father's house. And vouchsafe 
to us that meeting of the soul with thee that shall assure us of thy pres- 
ence, and of thy welcome. Bless the reading of thy Word. Bless our 
endeavors to draw instruction from it. Bless us, we beseech thee, in 
singing, in prayer, in meditation, and in all the rejoicing services of the 
sanctuary, and of the day. "We ask it for Christ's sake. Amen. 

BEFOBE SERMON. 

Blessed be thy name, O God, that there is a new and 
living way opened up for ns in Christ Jesus between the 
spiritual and invisible world and this mortal and visible 
one. The way is obscure, and our wandering thoughts 
are bewildered and lost as we seek to find it. So far it 
seems so diifferent from our accustomed senses, so strange 
and intangible, that doubts and fears roll over us like 
billows. But when thou art presented in Jesus our 
Master, when we behold the heart of God radiant with 
love, and hear thee call us thy children, and thy breth- 
ren, and thy friends, and know that all power that cen- 
ters in the eternity of the universe is wielded by wisdom 

14: 



314 beecher's pulpit devotioks. 

for mercy and for love, we feel that we have found a 
way, and no longer do onr poor thoughts stumble over 
the stony wilderness. jSTow in Jesus Christ we find our 
God, and we come boldly to the throne of mercy. 

O Lord, we rejoice in this way of approach to thee ; 
and we thank thee that thou dost manifest thyself to 
those that seek thee and find thee in a way that thou, 
dost not to the world ; by evidence such as we cannot 
have in worldly things ; by our own consciousness ; by 
the up-springing of the feelings of the heart ; by that 
iove in us which calls out to the love which is in thee, 
and by which we say " Abba, Father." We bless thee, 
that thou dost shine into the soul, and grant unto thy 
people a witness of thy presence, and fill them with joy 
unspeakable. We rejoice that thou dost teach them that 
thou art, and that thou art a rewarder of those that dili- 
gently seek thee. And we thank thee that there are so 
many that are seeking thee ; that there are so many that 
in silent thoughts are seeking tliee; that there are so 
many tliat with avowed purpose are seeking the way to 
thee ; that there are so many that from backslidings and 
wanderings are returning to thee; that there are so 
many that have had a long night and troubled dreams, 
that are coming to the dawn, and are waking. Thou 
Star of the morning, shine out for those that watch and 
wait, to tell them the way from which the light comes. 
Thou Sun of righteousness, rise with healing in thy 
beams ; rise to drive away darkness and all its works of 
wickedness ; rise, that the children of light may come 
forth and bear witness of their God. 

Accept, we beseech of thee, the consecration which 
thou hast inclined these thy servants^ to make of them- 

* Just received into the Church. 



YOUTHFUL ACCESSIONS. 315 

selves to thee. We thank thee that they are beginning 
so early to serve thee. We thank fchee that it is not the 
fragments of their life that they bring with them. We 
thank thee that they do not come to Christ only to be 
insured against death. We thank thee that they have 
consecrated the dew of their youth to their God, and that 
they mean to live a life of purity, of love, of truth, of self- 
denial, and of activity for others. And we pray that the 
generous and godly purposes which have been inspired 
in their hearts, and have ripened into convictions and 
decisions in them, may be nourished by thy grace, and 
perpetuated by thy spirit, which gave them birth. And 
may they never be ashamed of Christ or his cause. May 
they never be weary of well-doing. May they begin at 
once to do all the duty that is made known to them. 
And may they have manifested in their hearts the truth 
of thy word, that thy yoke is easy and that thy bur- 
den is light. May they have victories. May they have 
hope and courage inspired from the very beginning, by 
victories over easily-besetting sins. 

Unite husbands and wives by a purer, a sweeter, and a 
more heavenly affection. Grant that there may be to 
all of us this background of immortality. There may 
we plant ourselves. There may all noble aspirations 
find their source. There may we live together in the 
hope of glory in a realm where sorrow, and tears, and 
separation, and death, are known no more. 

Grant, we beseech of thee, thy blessing to rest upon 
the labors of all thy servants ; upon the efforts of those 
that teach in the Sabbath school and in Bible classes. 
And we pray that thou wilt bless the pupils under their 
charge. And may there be those that shall gird them- 
selves, and go forth and preach tbe gospel to the ungath- 



316 beecher's pulpit detotioks. 

ered, the scattered, the ignorant, the vicious, the crimi- 
nal. May there be an anointing of the Holy Ghost day 
by day in them, and may the work be its own reward. 
May they rejoice that they are counted worthy to do 
anything for the name of Christ. 

We pray that thou wilt bless all the churches ; revive 
thy work in them more and more powerfully. And 
grant that the time for the visitation of Zion may come 
in all the land. May we hear tidings of the glories of 
thy salvation on every side. And as war hath broken 
out and rolled its lurid clouds of darkness over the land, 
now let there be poured out streams of the light of thy 
kingdom clear across this continent. And we beseech 
of thee that the dwellers on the sea, and those in wilder- 
nesses, and those scattered through mountains and mines, 
may hear the tidings of thy salvation. And everywhere 
may man begin to love man. Everywhere may man be 
precious in the eyes of his fellows for Christ's sake. 
And, we beseech of thee, overturn and overturn in all the 
nations of the earth, and bring in that latter day, that 
glorious time of appointment that surely marches on, 
when all the earth shall see thy salvation. 

And to thy name shall be the praise, Father, Son, and 
Spirit. Amen. 



SOCIAL OR LECTURE-ROOM PRAYERS. 

Friday Evenings, 
No. I. 

Thou that art the Highest, we rejoice in thee. When separated 
from thee, the inspirations of our life are lost, and our joy is but 
as color in darkness ; hut when we are joined to thee, our hearts 
sing, and all oppositions cease ; sorrow itself is luminous, and the 
plainest things are most beauteous. Joy is unspeakable then and 
full of glory. Thy way is wondrous. That which thou canst do 
for thine own, though we know it not all, we know it in some 
measure, and we adore thee for thy grace ; we adore and love thee 
for all that makes thee God. Thy power and august dignity wo 
recognize ; but oh ! thy heart, thy love, thy beneficent wisdom, thy 
tenderness are past all comparison. The gradations of thy mercy 
will never be known. Thou lovest to be a God of mercy. This is 
thy delight. We rejoice, since we need it in infinite stores, that it 
is poured endlessly abroad ; and that all our wants are met. Our 
necessities are known to thee before they are known to us ; and 
thy supplies are waiting for us. 

We thank thee for the past. How many memories of thee that 
come to our hours of musing are full of sweetness, as things are 
tliat come from a garden of flowers. We rejoice that thou art 
making heaven to us as a garden ; and that the influences wafted 
thence are so full of fragrance, and have in them so much to make 
us patient here ; so much to make us willing to live ; so much that 
inspires humiliation and divine ambition ; so much that makes us 
content to submit to thy will. Do with us as thou pleasest. We 
leave ourselves in thy hands, and, living or dying, we desire to be 
the Lord's. that we might understand what is the glory of our 
calling in Christ Jesus, and what is the riches of the inheritance 



318 beecher's social on 

of the saints in glory ! Why should we go, made dingy by care ? 
"Why should we be drudging in life ? Why should we spend our 
time, and employ all our nobler powers in the service of things 
mean beyond comparison ? We who are called in heaven ; we 
w^hose names are written there ; we upon whom is passed the bap- 
tism of the Spirit — we are the beloved of God, around about whom 
wait his ministering angels; for whom Providence moves; who 
are dear to the heart of the Redeemer ; whose wants time and eter- 
nity are made to serve. Lord God! we beseech of thee that we 
may live worthy of the vocation wherewith we are called. May 
we put aside fear ; may we throw away sorrow ; may we be rid 
of care ; may we cast our burdens on thee. They are no burdens to 
thee ; and they cease to be burdens to us when we cast them on thee. 
O Lord, think of us; think for us; provide for our daily wants. 
Give us not only a place where to lay our head, but a place likewise 
where we can lay our heart — even upon thine — that we may have 
that peace w^hich passeth all understanding. Why should we starve 
when there is meat enough in our Father's house ; or grieve when 
there is joy waiting for us ; or despond when everlasting hope is lifted 
up upon us, and it is proclaimed that we are saved by hope ? We 
desire to make more of our salvation by Christ. We desire to have 
more comfort and more strength in thee. May we know how to 
use thee more. May we know how to put thee on as a garment ; 
how to take thee as a Saviour; how to feed upon thee as the bread 
of life ; and how to behold thee as the Sun of Righteousness, 
shining upon all, and filling all with the glory of thine own excel- 
lence. 

Grant a blessing to rest upon us to-night. Already it is coming. 
We thank thee for these meetings ; for the fellowship of saints ; 
for this rest given to us in the intervals of care and trouble ; for 
the privilege of praising thee, and praying to thee. We thank 
thee for the unnumbered evenings and days that have gone by ; 
for the fellowship of years ; for the memories that eternity shall 
not efface. Bind us together to-night. Give us joy and profit in 
this our meeting. We ask it for Christ's sake. Amen. 



T.ECTUr.E-ROOM PP.AYERS. 319 

No. IL 
PPvEPAKATORY LECTURE. 

O, AscEifDED Redeemer, thou art ev^er in the presence of thy 
Father, unforgetting, and forever loving. After having loved 
thine own, thou didst love them unto the end. To the end of the 
world, and through eternity, thou wilt he the loving Saviour. And 
now the evidences of thy affection and faithfulness are in us. We 
are severally witnesses of thy goodness, in enlightening us when we 
were in darkness ; in searching us, and causing our sins to rise up 
in order before us. TVe are witnesses that thou didst call us whoi^ 
we were raised with an effectual calling ; and that we were mado 
to know that God was gracious. And since we have recognized, 
thine authority and called ourselves by thy name, thou hast no^ 
forgotten to do us good — no, not for one moment. In our way- 
w^ardness, in our forge tfulness, in our backslidings, in our wicked 
worldliness, in doubts and fears and retrocessions, thou hast 
been full of goodness. Yea, when we have been unfaithful, thou 
hast been faithful. Thou abidest, God, and never changest. 
Thou dwellest without variableness or shadow of turning. It is 
man that changes and passes away. 

^Ye rejoice, O God, to acknowledge thee, to call ourselves by 
thy name ; and we rejoice that we are gathered into thy visible 
church, that we have been made to take the vov/s and covenants 
of God upon us; and we desire to be known as thy disciples, and 
never to draw back from the consecrations that we have made. We 
desire to be aided by thy holiness and love, so that the world 
may see Christ in us. May we be able so to maintain thy testi- 
mony, that thy word shall be revived in its living form in as; and 
we may go forth epistles read and known of all men. 

Be pleased to bless us as a church. We beseech thee grant to 
every individual member of this great body thy saving presence. 
And as we cannot enumerate all their wants, we commend them 
to thee. Be pleased to find out the want of every one, and to 
relieve it from thine own infinite grace and fullness. There are 
many that are discouraged; but thy strength is as abundant for 
them now as it was in days that are past. There are many that 



320 beecher's social or 

say, "What shall we eat? what shall we drink? and wherewithal 
shall we he clothed?" And thou art saying to them, " Your heavenly 
Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things." There are 
many that sit despondent; there are many that have heen be- 
reaved ; there are many that are suffering ; there are many who 
have friends that are sick ; there are many who have lost friends 
from their earthly estate. Be pleased, O thou comforting One, to 
comfort them severally, according to their need, and thine infinite 
mercy and goodness. 

And now thou art preparing thy people to come together, with 
vows and faithful promises, to celebrate thy dying love. O may 
they never forget thy love. May the sun and the stars disappear 
from the heavens before any heart that has known the love of 
Christ shall forget it. And may we mourn over those sins that 
make us unworthy to call ourselves by his name. May we seek 
more and more to resist the enemies of Christ, and to fortify our- 
selves that we may be faithful in his cause. And wilt thou prepare 
us for the celebration of thy dying love. May all that come together, 
come called and baptized by the Spirit of God. 

Eememberany that are scattered abroad, dispersed, and that would 
fain come together with us. O Lord, may there stiU be borne out 
to them a communion of the Spirit ; and if they turn their thoughts 
toward this Sabbath that is approaching, and yearn for thy sanc- 
tuary, be pleased, God, to cause that, wherever they are, the 
ministration of thy providence and grace may abound to them. 

Thou hast withdrawn many from our midst. Thou art giving 
them the privilege of standing up for the maintenance of right in 
this great national struggle upon which thou hast permitted us to 
enter. Be pleased to strengthen them in the day of battle. May 
their hearts not fear. When other men fear and melt away, may 
they feel, as it were, the glory of God standing around about them, 
and carrying them wherever they go. In sickness, in suffering of 
wounds, or in the last passion and anguish, Holy Ghost draw near 
and abide with tliem. And we beseech of thee that thou wilt 
make this church rich, not so much in the number of its members, 
as in their heroism, in their spiritual loveliness, in their earnest 
fidelity to duty. And may Christ have many witnesses from out 
of the midst of this people. 



LECTUEE-ROOM PRAYERS. 321 



:N-0. III. 



We thank thee for thine exceeding hountj and love, O Lord 
Jesus, our Redeemer. We thank thee for our souls' own expe- 
rience. What to us is the heaven around us, and the earth filled 
with tokens of thy love and kindness ; what are food and raiment ; 
what are all the blessings of the household, compared with the 
glory which thou dost bring to the soul in the assurance of thy 
love to-day. For the earth fades and passes away. At longest, 
we are here but a little time. In our Father's house eternity 
dwells. But when thou dost disclose thyself to us, and call us 
thine, speaking our sins forgiven, and giving us the promise of thy 
life as the assurance of ours, saying, ^'Because I live ye shall live 
also," then, O blessed Savior, with what transport do we hail the 
gift of immortality, and all its blessedness, with thee, with thine, 
with ours. Cleansed from every sin, redeemed from every weak- 
nesj5, knowing as we are known, we shall forever and forever, in 
thy presence, in thine own immediate love and care, hold on our 
exalted being through endless ages of blessedness. Eye hath not 
seen, nor ear heard, nor hath it entered into the heart of man to 
conceive, what thou hast laid up for those that love thee, and 
whom thou dost love. 

E'ow, we beseech thee that thou wilt manifest thyself to all tlfat 
are here. Break through the settled gloom, if there be those that 
are in darkness which shrouds their mind. Though they are not 
worthy of thee, make thyself glorious to them. And wilt thou be 
full of all those noble benefactions which thou art wont to bestow 
upon the undeserving. Are there any in thy presence that are 
mourning because of their sins ? While thou callest them to arise 
and forsake the evil of their way, and turn to thee by newness of 
life, Lord God, grant that there may be a heart given to them to 
feel thy caU. We beseech thee that thou wilt grant that if there 
be any in thy presence that yearn for better knowledge and higher 
disclosures of God, they may be satisfied. Show thyself to them as 
thou dost not to the world. May the Spirit of God be with them. 
May they feel that they have an indwelling Saviour. May they 
have that perfect peace which passeth all understanding ; which 
not the dread of their own sin can disturb; which not all the 
14* 



322 beecher's social or 

clamor and confusion of the world, nor all the changes that come 
upon the hnraan race can mar, and which is promised and given 
freely, flowing as a river of life. 

Are there any in onr midst that desire, because of their sick- 
ness, to be remembered before thee ? We beseech thee be near to 
them in their trial and tronble. Bless them with the disclosures 
of the truth of God in Christ tTesus, and make their way toward 
the heavenly home a sure way ; and as birds forsake the winter 
in the north, and fly through the liquid air, singing as they fly, to 
seek warmer climes, so may they, when they go homeward, sing 
as they fly all the way thither. And hearing their joy, knowing 
their witness, may we be encouraged to follow them, and live with 
trust in Christ, knowing that he will not forsake us in the hour of 
weakness and dying. For what soul, O Jesus, ever put its trust in 
thee, and was forsaken ? Who ever leaned upon thy bosom, and 
was cast thence ? There is blessing yet for every one that comes 
seeking with a childlike disposition, and willing to take. 

We beseech thee that if there are any that are without hope 
and without God, suffering in sickness and gloom of mind, and in 
a dark and troubled way, thou wilt be pleased to bring upon their 
night the morning of hope. May the Sun of Eighteousness arise 
upon them with healing in its beams. 

Grant, we pray thee, a blessing to those that are of us, but 
not among us, detained by various errands in thy providence. 
Some we know are far from us in circumstances of labor, and 
danger, and great trial. Give them courage, fortitude, and fidelity. 
May they to the end endure as good soldiers of Christ, and 
approved through faith of Christ, by their good works. And 
grant that there may be a Gospel in the camp. May a fire bo 
kindled in every single regiment of our army by those that know 
Christ. And hasten the day when all over the world the power 
of Christ's religion shall be felt, and when nations shall make war 
no more. And grant that thy glory may fill the earth, as the 
waters fill the sea. Even so, Lord, come quickly. And to thy 
name shall be the praise, Father, Son, and Spirit. Amen, 



LECTURE-ROOM PRAYERS. 323 



No. IV. 



Thou blessed Redeemer, everywhere thine eye of love and mercy 
dwells, and wherever thy looks are, there is light and joy. Who 
can wander from thy presence ? and who that consciously is in thy 
presence can be much in sorrow or in sadness ? For thou hast 
taught us to sanctify affliction. Thou hast taught us its meanings, 
and all its blessed fruits and remunerations. And though for the 
present it is not joyous, but grievous ; afterward it worketh the 
peaceable fruit of righteousness. Be pleased, O Lord Jesus, to 
bring us into such communion with thee, that all things shall be 
relatively indifferent. Grant that we may have such a sense of onr 
riches in Christ's love, such a sense of power in the communica- 
tions of divine grace, such an ascendancy over time and circum- 
stances, such a sense of the shortness of life and the nearness of 
the eternal life, and such premonitions of its glory, of the fullness 
of its joy, and of its interchanging and unwasting blessedness, that 
we shall not be moved from our constancy. Deliver us, we pray 
thee, from all looking forward with pain and apprehension. For 
why should we bear the burden that belongs to the infinite One ? 
Why should we carry that which thou wilt carry for us ? For 
cares and troubles do not vex thee, while they oppress us, and 
weigh us down to the ground. May we learn how to cast our care 
upon him who careth for us; how to trust in the Lord and do 
good ; how to go day by day, fearing no evil ; how to be in that 
perfect liberty which love gives. Children of the Highest, brethren 
together through Jesus Christ — grant that we may feel that all 
things are for us; that our Father owns the earth, with its seasons, 
with all its possessions ; that the earth is the Lord's, and the full- 
ness thereof; and that therefore it, and all things that are in it, 
are ours. Grant that we may feel the largeness of that calling to 
which we are called ; that it may give us joy, and peace, and in- 
spiration, and gratitude, and love. 

Be pleased to bless thy servants that are gathered together to- 
night. To each one grant the spirit of needed help aocording to 
thine insight and wisdom, and not according to the wisdom of our 
asking. Grant that if any are in trouble, they may be succored 
therein. If any are in darkness, may they find rising a star over 



324 

tlie horizon of their night. If any are perplexed, be pleased, O 
Lord, to guide them out of their doubt into the plain path of duty^ 
Lighten the burdens of those that bend beneath their load. And 
grant, we pray thee, that every one may feel and know that the 
Spirit worketh in him, and may have the earnest of his promised 
possession. We pray that thou wilt accept our thanks for these 
hours of communion, and for all the memories of the past in con- 
nection with them. How rich has our life been, beyond all meas- 
uring of our own ! How full have been thy mercies ! And because 
they have been so many and so continuous, we have lost the reck- 
oning, so that we scarcely know how much thou hast done for us. 
AVe thank thee for the past. We humbly trust thee for the future. 
Be pleased to preserve us, and to fit us more and more for the work 
of thine earthly kingdom. And at last, through riclies of grace in 
Christ Jesus, take us all to our heavenly home, and there we will 
praise the Father, and the Son, and the Spirit. Amen. 



No. y. 

Geant, God, now that we have entered on another year — a year 
of the revelation of the right-hand of thy glory ; a year that thou art 
making wonderful among all the years of time — grant that, for the 
sake of the truth, and for the sake of holiness, we may lift ourselves 
up to a higher life. May we be called to act from nobler motives. 
May we endeavor to take a clearer and truer conception of duty. 
And may we, for Christ's sake, and for the sake of his cause, conse- 
crate ourselves afresh to thee. Thou, O God, canst lift us up ; and 
only thou canst do it. All our courage will be in vain, and all our 
good resolutions will sleep as sentinels over-wearied at their post, 
and we shall be surprised and destroyed if thou art not vigilant 
for us, and thy grace is not exercised in our behalf. We stand 
importuning, not because thou needest to be importuned, and art 
reluctant to bestow mercies upon us. We know not why we do 
it, except that thou hast told us to ask for such things as we 
desire. 

We beseech thee to grant to every one in thy presence that 
blessing which cannot be mistaken ; that voice which can come 



LECTURE-ROOM PRAYERS. 325 

only from Him that speaketh to the inmost consciousness. Grant 
to everyone the incoming of thy Spirit. Grant to every one a holy 
joy, a heavenly gladness. May every one in thy presence to-night 
feel that he has been the guest of God himself. And grant that all 
our offerings of song, and prayer, and meditation, and instruction, 
on this occasion, may be acceptable in thy sight, and beneficial to 
us. We ask it through Jesus, the Redeemer. Amen. 



ITo. YI. 

We rejoice, thou Forerunner, that thou hast entered into rest for 
thyself and for thy people. The world has no more dominion over 
thee, and thou hast dominion over all the earth. Sorrows are 
under thy feet. Thou dost tread them down as the grass. We are 
encompassed by them : thou no more forever. We are driven to 
and fro by the forces yet in conflict : thou, supreme Victor, dost 
sit serene, knowing to the very end of thine administration that all 
things are working together right and well. And we need the 
surety of God. We need to rise up above ourselves. There is no 
strength of will, no settled ness of purpose, no achievement in times 
past, no sense of knowledge, nor of power, nor of goodness, nor of 
skill, that can give us quiet. Nor is there anything that we can 
lean upon on earth that is sufficient. We are too weak to lean 
upon each other. All is mortal and fallible in this lower sphere ; 
and only when we lift ourselves by faith into thy presence, and 
behold thy face of love and infinite wisdom ; only when we feel 
thy heart beating through all changes and revolutions with the 
same love, do we find peace — thy peace. Not as the world giveth 
dost thou give. Not that peace which comes from desires fulfilled ; 
not that peace which comes from petty victories here, dost thou 
give. Thou, God, dost overspread the soul with thine own 
divine Spirit. Thou dost brood upon it, and only its divine feel- 
ings lift themselves up to thy call, and enjoy thee ; and we have 
rest indeed. In thee we inherit all things. Without thee we are 
orphans ; poor and naked and miserable. 

And now, Lord Jesus, accept our thanks for our past expe- 
rience. How often, when hungry, have we run to thee and been 



326 BEECHEr's &OCTAL OR 

fed. How often, when disgusted, and filled with shcarae, and 
remorse, and tempestiions and conflicting feelings, have we turned 
from the world and from ourselves, and from every thing but thee, 
and gone to thee, and found balm and consolation. 

And we beseech thee that thou wilt look upon any that may be 
in thy presence who cannot look up to thee, who smite upon their 
breast and say, '* God be merciful to me a sinner ; " and who are 
deeply penetrated with a consciousness of their unworthiness 
before thee. Oh, thou canst smile away the sorrow even of 
remorse. Thou canst bind up those that are wounded in their 
very conscience. Thou, in the greatness and the wonder of thy 
love, canst heal the broken in heart. And we beseech thee, 
to-night, that thou wilt draw near to any such who are in thy 
presence, and give them joy for sorrow, and health for sickness of 
soul. Manifest thyself a Saviour ; and may sin-sick souls find now 
their Physician, and be healed, and go forth to tell what the Lord 
hath done for them. 

And wilt thou look upon thy church ; upon thy cause in this 
land ; upon thy people, divided and striving under tempestuous 
winds that cast up mire and dirt. Is not this the time for the 
sovereign to come? All thy messengers that go forth are but 
men. Now we need the great Jehovah. Thou, Prince of salva- 
tion, make bare thine arm in the midst of the people. Speak, that 
men may obey thee. Oast down thine enemies in confusion. May 
the righteous begin to take heart and courage again. And may ail 
men behold, and cry out, ''Tiie Lord hath come to judgment !'' 

And we beseech thee that thou wilt look in compassion upon all 
the nations of the world. Oh, how long shall the earth be as a 
cup filled with wrath, and overflowing? When, Lord Jesus, 
shall thy wondrous power of death give life to this world, and 
cleanse it, and establish it in righteousness ? We long for thy 
coming ; and if we may not see it here, yet grant, through thine 
unspeakable grace and love, that each of us, going forth in due 
time from our labor, may rise to that blessed land where we shall 
see the salvation of God. And to thy name shall be the praise, 
Father, Son, and Spirit. Amen. 



LECrrUEE-ROOM PRAYERS. 327 



Ko. YIT. 



LoED our God, lift us out of our low thought and carnal 
understanding, and bring us up into that eternal peace and calm 
where thou dost dwell, loving and blessing with everlasting bene- 
ficence. All around about thee is bright with purity, with thoughts 
of justice, and with acts of mercy. There is no wasting the infinite 
abundance of God. Thou dost send forth streams of blessings that 
flow and never cease ; and yet the fountain is not diminished. We 
rejoice in thy fullness. We rejoice that thou art the same yester- 
day, to-day, and forever ; loving still, and giving still. We rejoice 
in thy power and wisdom which follow upon thy life. And shall 
we be afraid to ask thee for mercies ? We bring our own wants ; 
we bring the anxieties of our households ; we bring our cares and 
distractions; we bring our sorrows and sadnesses and despon- 
dencies, and ask that they may be taken away from us. We ask 
that our burdens may be hghtened ; that our heart-troubles may 
be healed. Grant, also, that we may bring our solicitude for thy 
cause, with confidence that thou dost love to be gracious. Thou 
wilt remember Zion. Thou wilt build up the waste places. The 
walls of Jerusalem shall not for ever be thrown down. Thou wilt 
rebuild them. And the temple which thou wilt yet build shall be 
more glorious than was the first. 

We beseech thee, remember our own land. O Lord God, behold it, 
and have compassion upon it. And if it be needful that thy work 
of fire should go on, burn fiercely, flame of the Lord, that the end 
may soon be consummated. And then, when thou hast wrought a 
work of righteousness, give us peace. 

We beseech thee to hear our prayer for those that have ofi'ended 
thee; for those that, for the sake of oppression, have gone into 
rebellion. Turn them back. Overthrow their banners in the day 
of battle. And have compassion upon them. And grant, O God, 
that all the manifold sufferings which they have endured may be 
salutary in the end. And grant, we pray thee, that when we shall 
be united again, the strength of this great land may be exerted 
invariably, and for evermore, for justice, for equity, for religion, all 



528 beecher's social or 

over the world. Let thy kingdom come, and let thy will be done, 
throughout the whole earth. We ask it for the Redeemer's sake. 
Amen. 



No. YIII. 
July 1, 1864. 

Eteenal God, thou sittest unchangeable in eternal youth, in 
eternal love. That same law which made us, and made us moral 
beings, prevails in heaven and upon the earth. And right is the 
same, and wrong. Justice and judgment, love and mercy, all 
divine attributes, and all our duties under them are stable. And 
though human-made things change, the qualities of man, and mind, 
and government do not. Thou sittest supreme arbiter; and what- 
ever may be the confusion of things, all things are moving around 
about the stated laws of thine empire. And we rejoice that in this 
confusion there is form ; that in our helplessness there is help ; and 
that over against our ignorance and apprehension there is perfect 
Avisdom, and no fear nor uncertainty. 

And now, O Lord, our God, we desire to be caught up out of the 
fever and turbulance of the times in which we dwell. We desire 
to find thee a very present help in time of trouble. Lord, thou 
hast promised to make thyself a refug^. Thou art a mountain and 
rock in a weary land. We remember in days gone by, when we 
have gone up out of the city and troubled vale unto the tops of 
mountains, and found, while it was heated and full of summer 
burnings below, that there it was more than cool and transparent, 
that there no sound was heard, and every thing dwelt in eternal 
calm and purity. Be pleased, O Lord, to grant, since thou art a 
rock in a weary land, lifted far up above toil and heat and turbu- 
lance, that we may be able to find thee, and to refresh ourselves in 
thy presence. O make thy love sweet again to the souls that have 
known it once. O make thy presence joyful to those that have 
learned to joy in thee. O grant that we may feel that nothing can 
help us nor enrich us that leaves thee out, and that nothing can 
hurt us nor harm us that includes thee. More and more may our 
life be hid in thine. May we be willing to give up every thing of 



LECTURE-ROOM PRAYERS. 329 

our cherished plans. May we be able to say, as it is evolved day 
by day, and made known to us, ** The will of the Lord be done." 

** Grant, we pray thee, a blessing to rest upon thy dear people 
that are here. May every one have a portion in due season of the 
mercy and the grace which he peculiarly needs. Some are in 
special trouble. Some are in -perplexities. Some are in doubts. 
Some are in sorrows. Some are in heart-sickness from hope de- 
ferred. Some are cast down with grief. Some are burdened. 
Lord, thou knowest every heart. Draw near to each one and say 
as thou didst of old to thy disciples, " Peace I will give thee — my 
peace." 

And grant, we pray thee, a blessing to rest upon all that are to 
unite themselves with this church upon the Sabbath that is coming, 
and upon such as shall to-night accept the sacred profession and 
vows of baptism.* Lord God, we pray that they may rejoice. 
May they rejoice that they have an opportunity of professing the 
power of God upon their souls. 

And now we pray, Lord our God, that every member of this 
church — all that have walked in our midst, and with whom we 
have had sweet counsel — may be kept unto everlasting life. And 
when we rise at last in the other and better land, may we meet 
each other there. We that have worked together, and wept to- 
gether, and rejoiced together, on earth, may we hold on together 
for ever and for ever. And to thy name shall be the praise, Father, 
Son, and Spirit. Amen. 



No. IX. 

Thou helpful One, before thee are all the sorrows of mankind. 
Thou hast borne sorrow and carried it since the world began. 
Everlasting Father, not only is the government upon thy shoulder, 
but thou art Counsellor. Thou dost counsel with the afiQicted. 
Thou art the wisdom-giving and the strength-giving God ; and 
thou hast from age to age succored thy people, and art faithful, 
and wilt be unto the very end. We commend to thy fatherly care 

♦ At the close of the meeting several persons were to be bap tired by immersion. 



330 beecher's social or 

all that are in affliction, all that are cast into darkness of bereave- 
ments sore and trying. How are we unprepared against ten thou- 
sand warnings! Still we go heedless, with a knowledge that we 
are open and exposed to every trouble and ailment that afflicts our 
fellow-mortals. We still never think that we can suffer till the 
trouble comes ; and then we are dismayed and cast down, and all 
our confidence departs. Lord God, teach us by thy friendly 
hand of affliction that love in thee is as love in us; but purer, 
nobler. As we do not willingly afflict, but chastise for the good 
of our dear children, so whom the Lord loves he chastens. Are 
any under thy hand? We cannot ask that thou wouldst lift thy 
hand — for thou wilt do what is best ; but we pray for those that 
are pressed down, that thou wilt bear the knowledge of Jesus unto 
their wounded souls. Bring near to them the sense of thy quick- 
ening presence, and, above all, of thy sympathy, thy yearning love, 
for them. O, help them to bear what must be borne, and remove 
what may be removed. 

We pray, O Lord, that thou wilt comfort with a bright vision of 
the coming glory, those that are called to separate from earthly 
friends. It is but a few days. Like the weaver's shuttle, like the 
swift arrow, like the eagle's flight, is the passage of men through 
this world ; and all our troubles will soon be over. A few days 
more of patience, a few days more of endurance, and we shall have 
endured unto the end, and inherited the promises to patience and 
fidelity. Grant, we pray thee, to every one of us, and to all espe- 
cially that are tried and oppressed and burdened, the reality of 
drawing near to thee, of the shortness of the time that remains, of 
the nearness of the unsetting sun, and of that fadeless day that is 
before us. We are walking already on the evening time of life. 
We are drawing near to the morning time of immortality. O that 
we may rise, and awake, knowing that the day is at hand. And 
may we rejoice in its tokens, and be prepared to hail it, invoking and 
receiving its sunrise — the Sun of Eighteousness that shall never set. 

And now, O Lord, dismiss us with thy blessing from this place, 
and grant that all the services of the evening may be sanctified by 
thy Holy Spirit, and be made nutritive to our spiritual nature, 
which we ask in the Redeemer's name. And to the Father, the 
Son, and the Spirit, shall be praises evermore. Amen. 



LECTURE-ROOM PRAYERS. 331 



No. X. 



Thou, Jesus, didst forsake thine heavenly company, and of 
mere love didst bow down to the earth, and take the form of man, 
and bear all his sorrows and troubles. Thou didst bear the weary 
lot of life, made in thy case most burdensome. Thou didst bear 
the pangs of Gethsemane and the anguish of the cross, and lay 
down thy life. Greater love hath no man than that he lay down 
his life for his friends; but thou didst lay thine down for thine 
enemies. And thon hast set up before us this living example. All 
the power of thy nature went forth for others. And though thou 
wast made happy in thine own conduct, it was not for thyself that 
thou didst live, but for us. And now thou hast left thy command- 
ment that we are to walk in thy steps. We are to live, not to 
ourselves, but to thee, and for the sake of thy disciples, and for the 
sake of others about us. 

Behold, O God, our groveling conceptions; the dead and dull 
down-pulling of selfishness. Behold how we run each one for his 
own good, and by sympathy and imitation go in companies, and 
strive to build each himself or his own. See how little we have 
sociality in disinterestedness, how little we have company one with 
another for others, and how yet we are of the earth, earthy. 
Lord, if thou dost love us, inspire us by thine own Spirit with 
thine own example. May there be the desire burning in us day by 
day to live for the welfare of thy kingdom, for the glory of our 
God, and for the benefit of our fellow-men. Thou hast given us 
some experiences. Thou hast taught us to live, not for our own 
good, but for the welfare of the country, for the welfare of thy 
church, for the welfare of our kind ; but how to carry it out hour 
by hour, in all things, and toward all men, in honor preferring one 
another, in pleasure preferring one another, in all things preferring 
one another, this we have not learned ; this we have scarcely studied. 

Grant, God, that there may be the help from on high without 
which we labor in vain. Pour in upon our minds some sacred con- 
ception of Christian life. Give us help in executing it. And may 
we have the witness, at last, of our conscience, that by the grace 
of God we have obtained, step by step, better things, and are living 
nearer both to the spirit and the example of our Master. 



832 LECTURE-EOOM PEAYERS. 

INTow, we pray that thou wilt give us thy blessing as we go 
hence. O Loi'd Jesus, there is a blessing that makes rich, and that 
sings in the heart. There is a blessing that is as a well of water 
springing up. "We need not to draw it. It comes up of Itself, and 
overflows, and comes down as streams down the mountain. Grant 
us that blessing. O thou Spirit that dost promise, fulfill, that men 
may behold that thy people are made happy by thee, and that 
thou art with them, and dost abide in them. Thus honor thyself, 
and draw men to thee. We ask it for the Kedeemer's sake. 
Amen, 



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